


The Last of the Real Ones: Breaking Family Tradition

by EssieBates



Series: The Last of the Real Ones [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Eventual Smut, F/M, Friendship, Love, Marauders, Marauders' Era
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-27
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2019-01-25 03:02:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 53,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12521488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EssieBates/pseuds/EssieBates
Summary: Everyone knew the troublemakers James Potter and Sirius Black, that was just life at Hogwarts, and everyone knew their exact opposites, the know-it-alls Lily Evans and Philippa Thatcher. Lily has a raging crush on James that she refuses to mention even in passing and Pippa, well she's not as squeaky clean as the world thinks. After all, someone had to get the Marauders interested in pranking in the first place, didn't she? And pranking's rather easy when you have a little voice in your head that's happy to help you about the castle, isn't it?





	1. On Our First Night

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone!  
> So, this is going to be a long haul in terms of length and as of right now, I think I'm looking at putting this into at least two different parts to keep it from being a single, ridiculously long piece.  
> Anyways, I know the whole descendent of a founder trope is really done, but it's something I've always wanted to write so I thought I'd attempt to put an original spin on it and actually make it a useful plot device instead of a fun fact that's supposed to make the OC interesting.
> 
> Essie
> 
> (Also, "The Last of the Real Ones" is from a Fall Out Boy song so cred to them)

"You know, I reckon that you’ll be breaking family tradition." James Potter told Sirius Black as they got off the Hogwarts Express for the very first time. Sirius raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yup. You don’t seem like the sort to go live with a bunch of snakes.” He said simply. Sirius thought about it. Not going to Slytherin? Sounded like an honest-to-Merlin dream—an extremely outlandish one, but still a dream.

“Hey, we can only hope. I hear the hat doesn’t give a shit about what you think about it.” He sighed. The girl in the next boat over sniffed at him disapprovingly. Sirius faintly recognized her red hair from the train. “What?”

“You really shouldn’t be using that sort of language, you know.” She observed before looking away and speaking to another girl in her own boat.

“Wow.” James muttered. “She’s a right head case.” Sirius made a sound of agreement, but his response was cut short by everyone’s gasps as the castle came into view for the first time. It was just as beautiful as everyone said it was.

“Wicked.” Sirius and James said at the same time before grinning at each other and high-fiving.

Soon the boats docked on their own and the kids all got off the boat, chattering about what they all thought they were going to see once they were in the castle.

“My mom told me that the ceiling in the Great Hall is enchanted to look like you’re outside.” Sirius heard some Scottish girl telling a girl beside her.

“I read the same in _Hogwarts: A History_.” The other girl responded eagerly. “Hopefully it doesn’t try and rain on us.” Both girls laughed a little as they all came to a halt just outside a set of doors. A rather strict looking woman walked out and examined them all.

“Welcome to Hogwarts, First Years. I am Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor House. In a moment, you will enter through these doors and join your classmates in the Great Hall for the Welcome Feast. However, you must first be sorted into your houses. There is Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Now, I’ll ask you to arrange yourselves alphabetically by surname and I will be back in a moment to bring you into the Hall.” She said and vanished. There was a mad scramble to find the people around them in the alphabet.

“Am I near where the B’s are?” Sirius asked a random girl. She looked over at him and smiled a bit.

“Sorry. I’m a T.” She said. “Heading closer to the door’ll do it.” Sirius realized this was the same Scottish girl he had heard telling her friend that the ceiling was bewitched.

“Thanks.” He said and walked off, finally placing himself between a Belby and a Bulstrode. He faintly recognized the Bulstrode girl as Edna and the Belby bloke—Demarcus or Democles or something—tried to chat him up as they stood there.

“Personally, I’m quite looking forward to Potions myself.” Sirius made an absent sound of agreement, not really caring about what this kid’s favorite subject was. “I don’t know how I’ll do in Defense Against the Dark Arts though—I don’t reckon I’ll be very good at that whole fighting deal.”

“It’s not for everyone, I suppose—nothing is.” Sirius said just as McGonagall (mercifully) reentered and told them all to follow her. They all slowly filed into the Great Hall and—remembering that one girl’s words about the ceiling—Sirius looked up to see if she was right. She was. The night sky was hanging above them, stars twinkling and everything.

Suddenly, the ratty hat at the front of the room sprung to life and started to sing. Sirius was so surprised by the fact it was singing that he actually missed most of the song, trying to figure which part of the hat was actually producing the sound, as it clearly didn’t have lungs. The first person was called up—some girl with the last name Abbot—and Sirius had the uncomfortable realization that he was going to be the third person to be sorted over all. Brilliant. Plenty early enough where people hadn’t become bored yet. The Belby boy went to Ravenclaw (Sirius was quite glad because no matter what happened, he wasn’t going to Ravenclaw himself).

“Black, Sirius.” Slytherin all hushed as he walked up to the stool and McGonagall dropped the hat over his eyes. The last thing he saw was Bellatrix, Andy, and Narcissa watching him intently.

_“Another Black…your lot tends to get boring over the years, you know? Always Slytherin—and on the off chance one of you should go somewhere else, you always argue until I give you Slytherin. Now, let’s take a loo—oh.”_

_“What?”_ Sirius thought to the hat. _“Merlin, I’m not mental am I?”_

_“Hardly. You’re the sanest Black I’ve seen in a good few generations. Now, where to put you…not Ravenclaw—witty and clever, but you don’t value learning for the sake of learning enough. Hufflepuff? A fierce friend…perhaps.”_

_“Hufflepuff? No way. Absolutely not.”_ Sirius thought. Everyone he knew had always insisted that Hufflepuff was the leftovers from the other houses. He’d rather be able to go home and say he was in Ravenclaw or even Gryffindor than Hufflepuff. Regardless, the hat seemed to ignore his commentary.

_“Slytherin? No, I don’t think so. Hm, most definitely not. Gryffindor? Might be a good fit—bravery, a good bit of nerve…daring, reckless, and arrogant—”_

_“Says the hat that sits around telling people where to live for seven years.”_

_“Ah, I missed the sharp tongue and brutal honesty. That certainly eliminates kind Hufflepuff.”_ Oh no way. That leaves…“GRYFFINDOR!” There was a collective gasp around the Great Hall as McGonagall took the hat off his head and then a dead silence set in before Gryffindor clapped enthusiastically. They all looked pleased to take yet another student away from Slytherin. McGonagall prodded him towards the correct table and he sat down, everyone looking at him curiously but no one speaking to him as the Sorting continued.

Evans, Lily came over and sat at the Gryffindor table a few people later (she was the ginger that had scolded him for his language like she was already a bloody Prefect), followed by Lupin, Remus; MacDonald, Mary; and McKinnon, Marlene. Pettigrew, Peter was the person before James and he too came to Gryffindor. The hat had barely touched James’ head before he was bouncing over to Gryffindor to unsurprised applause. Potters were always in Gryffindor. That’s just how it was. He and James chatted quietly as the end of the Sorting neared and people started to lose interest. Sirius simultaneously felt bad for and was envious of the people at the end who weren’t really being paid attention to. One of the names caught his attention though.

“Did she say Thatcher?” Sirius asked James, who shrugged.

“Yeah, a girl. Philippa.” Remus said from a seat down. Sirius realized it was the girl who had told him to go to the door to find his spot in the alphabet. “Why?”

“Her family’s…they’re an old family is all. Scots, the lot of them.” He said.

“Never heard of them.” James said with a shrug. “Can’t be many of them left then—Dad knows someone form most of the old families. They’re not one of your family’s lot are they? Slytherins, I mean.”

“Nah, Ravenclaws, all of them. Never heard of her though.” Sirius said. “Honestly, I thought it was an extinct line.”

“Ooh, what if she doesn’t go to Ravenclaw?” Mary Macdonald said excitedly.

“I doubt two old families are going to break tradition in one day.” Sirius said. “I was odd enough as it was.” They all nodded, now interested in Philippa Thatcher, who appeared to be bickering with the Hat. People started whispering when she didn’t move, the Hat still making up its mind.

“Think she’s going to be a hatstall?” James whispered.

“What’s that?” Lily Evans whispered back, unable to stop her curiosity—despite clearly already not liking Sirius and James.

“When it takes longer than five minutes for the Hat to decide.” Sirius whispered back. “Only happens once every fifty years or so.” She nodded.

“That’s five minutes.” Remus whispered after another thirty seconds. Philippa Thatcher was officially a hatstall. Sirius was quite taken aback that a girl that should have been so _easy_ to sort was taking so long. He had broken hundreds of years of tradition and he had only been up there like a minute according to James. What the hell was going on? Philippa Thatcher was up there for almost ten minutes before the Hat made a decision.

“GRYFFINDOR!” Gryffindor burst into applause—hatstalls usually meant one thing: the witch or wizard was usually highly talented at _a lot_ of different things, enough that the Hat couldn’t make up its mind on which was the most important and this was by far the longest hatstall within living memory. Philippa Thatcher walked over and sat beside Lily with a smile.

“Didn’t know you were so complicated.” Lily said and Philippa laughed.

“I didn’t either.” She agreed. “How long was I up there? Felt like forever.”

“About ten minutes.” Mary Macdonald said. “People were starting to wonder if you were okay.” Philippa laughed a bit.

“I’m fine. The Hat had a hard time deciding is all.” She said. “How many people are left? I’m starved.”

“Three—hopefully they won’t all take ten minutes too.” Remus said, looking longingly at the empty plates in front of them. The person after Philippa took less than thirty seconds and the last two took about a minute each.

Dumbledore stood and started delivering his speech, talking about the wonders of Hogwarts and how they were all going to embark onto a journey of learning this year before food appeared on the plates. The students immediately all started grabbing food like there was no tomorrow, Sirius and James heading right towards the chicken wings.

“Who makes the food? It’s bloody delicious.” James asked from around his food about ten minutes later.

“House elves.” Philippa Thatcher said suddenly, looking up from her conversation with Lily Evans.

“How’d you know that? That wasn’t in _Hogwarts: A History_.” Lily asked. Philippa seemed to go a bit pink, but obviously attempted to brush it off.

“Hm? Oh, my mom found the kitchens when she went here and told me about it one time.” She said quickly. Sirius raised an eyebrow at her once all of their friends had gone back to talking. Her eyes widened. She knew that he knew. She shook her head a little, obviously asking him not to say anything. He shrugged, mouthed ‘what?’ and went back to his food. She obviously relaxed and returned to the girls’ conversation.

“Philippa?” Remus asked politely. “Would you mind passing me that pumpkin juice? Ours is empty.” She looked up and passed it to him.

“Call me Pippa, please. My name’s always been such a mouthful.” She said and they all nodded, making mental notes as she handed the pumpkin juice to Remus.

Soon, they were all being herded off to their respective common rooms and dorms, walking through the castle and getting a look at the hallways they’d all be walking for the next seven years.

“Hey Sirius?” He looked over to see Pippa, who was obviously quite worried.

“Yeah?”

“Can I talk to you in private soon? We need to talk.” She said and he nodded.

“Yeah, common room tonight at say…ten? Everyone will probably be to bed early tonight.” She nodded.

“Yeah, that’s fine.” She said and walked ahead to talk to Lily Evans.

“How did you know?” Pippa asked as she sat beside Sirius on the sofa closest to the fire at ten that night.

“Know what? Who you—rather, your family—is?” He asked and she nodded. “I recognized the last name. My parents are obsessed with bloodlines and purity so I was taught them all as a kid. Never heard of you though—thought your line was extinct, to be honest.” She nodded again.

“Mom’s a Muggle—I’m a half-blood. That’s probably why if you were studying blood purity.” That would definitely explain it. His parents wouldn’t have told him about the defiling of another ancient bloodline, lest he get any ideas.

“Is it true?” He asked her suddenly.

“Is what true?” She asked, although the look on her fact said that she knew what he was talking about and was just humoring him.

“That you can remember everything?” He asked. “That’s what lore says. That you can remember everything that your ancestors saw.” She nodded a bit.

“It’s not nearly as cool as it sounds—and not nearly as useful. Random facts just…bubble up out of nowhere sometimes and I can’t really control which ancestor I connect to. I have an easier time with some than I so with others.” Sirius hesitated before asking what he had been dying to know.

“What about Rowena?”

“I’ve always had an easy time with her for some reason. I can’t carry a conversation with her or anything, but I just…like right now I can tell you about every single way in and out of the castle—and how to get to any specific place within it without thinking twice. It’s…I just _know_.” She said slowly, looking at her hands. “Her magic helped build the castle. She designed the changing layout and I can feel it through her—like the castle is alive.” Sirius blankly stared at her. “That made me sound like a freak, didn’t it?” She asked suddenly.

“No, it made you sound wicked cool.” He said and she smiled a bit. “Do most people think you’re a freak?”

“It comes with accidentally tapping into thousands of years worth of knowledge.” She said quietly. “It’s a word I’m quite familiar with, yeah.”

“Well, I think it sounds brilliant. You’ll never have to get lost around here, lucky.” He said and she smiled a bit, looking grateful. “I heard you say that your mom found the kitchens when she went here? But she’s a Muggle.”

“Nah, that was a lie—my cover for when I accidentally say something I shouldn’t know—Mom doesn’t know where the kitchens are, Muggle and all, but I do.” He raised an eyebrow.

“You want to sneak out? _On our first night_?” Sirius asked disbelievingly. Pippa Thatcher raised an eyebrow back at him.

“Where’s the sense of adventure? Besides, I know every secret nook and tunnel in this place remember? We’re not going to get caught because I know how to get there without going the ‘normal’ way.” She said. “Come on, you’ve already broken centuries worth of tradition—we both have. Let’s go celebrate being different.” She laughed and pulled him up by the hand, dragging him towards a corner of the common room. “Help me move this.” She added and he helped her push a cabinet out of the way to reveal a blank wall. Pippa bent down and tapped out a rhythm with her wand. Suddenly, the wall dissolved into a tunnel that they could easily fit through if they were crouching down. “Come on.” She wiggled her way in and motioned him with her. Going against his better judgment, Sirius went with her. As soon as he was all the way in the tunnel, it resealed behind him.

“You wouldn’t happen to know a spell or something that would make it easier to see, would you?” He whispered as they crawled downwards.

“Sorry. I know as much magic as you do—I can’t learn that much from my ancestors.” She whispered back. They crawled in silence for a bit. “Stop.” Sirius came to a stop and bumped into Pippa before backing off. He heard her tap her wand a few times and the wall disintegrated in front of them. They got out and saw that they were in a completely different place.

“Where are we?” He whispered as they stood in the hallway. She tilted her head, like she was listening for something or thinking quite hard.

“Fourth floor—near the library. Come on.” She said and pulled him with her down the hallway about twenty feet and stopping at a portrait. The bloke in the painting looked at her, obviously annoyed. “Serendipity.” She told it and the portrait actually smiled, the irritation at being woken vanishing.

“I doubt that, dear. Go on. Keep a hand on the walls if you’re not lighting your wands—it’s a bit twisty.” He said and opened for them they walked in and continued to descend downwards, keeping their hands on the wall in the dark tunnel.

“Where are we now?” Sirius asked, looking around as they left the tunnel.

“Right outside the kitchens. This is it.” She said, pointing to a portrait of fruit. “Tickle the pear.” He looked at her, certain that his new friend was insane.

“ _Excuse me_?”

“You heard me. Go on.”

“Which one is the pear?”

“Oh my God.” She sighed and reached out, tickling a specific piece of fruit in the painting. A doorknob appeared in her hand.

“Wicked.” He said without thinking. Pippa grinned and opened the door to reveal the largest kitchen that Sirius had ever seen. “Bloody hell.” He murmured as house elves immediately descended on them, asking if they wanted anything to eat. Both of them declined, saying that they were still full from the feast and were just exploring. The elves smiled and told them that they were free to look around as much as they wanted. “Hey, how’d you know that I’d thrown away centuries worth of tradition?” Sirius asked her suddenly as they inspected the table being filled with food in preparation for breakfast tomorrow.

“Hm?” Pippa said, looking up from the giant jugs of pumpkin juice. “Dad. He’s mentioned your name to me before—well, your surname.” She said. “He’s been telling me a lot about different families lately. I think he’s been trying to get me ready to start school.”

“You think?” He asked, wondering why she hadn’t just bothered asking why.

“Well, I can’t exactly ask, you know.” She said softly, sitting at one of the tables. “He died when I was four.” Sirius immediately felt bad for prying. “I’m luckier than most people who lose their parent though. I’ve always been able to connect to him—like Rowena. He puts things in my head that he thinks are important. When you were sorted, I just _knew_ that it was unusual—I’m not sure it was Dad that told me that, but I reckon it was him. I’d have to meditate on it to be sure though.”

“You talk about them like you have conversations with them.” Sirius observed sitting beside her at the table. She smiled a bit.

“No way. The way it was explained to me when I was little is that part of my ancestors live on through me and because of that, they can pick and choose what parts of them I can remember as my own. I can’t tell who ‘tells’ me what unless I take some time and meditate at the end of the day—that’s the only way I can sort out whose memories are whose. Other than that, I just know that they’re memories that aren’t mine and that’s that.” Pippa said thoughtfully.

“So you just have all these people floating around inside you?” He clarified.

“Sort of. I’m not possessed or anything like that, but I suppose you could say that all of my ancestors—some more than others—keep an eye on me and choose what and when to show me their memories. Rowena has always been very forthcoming—she’s given me all of her knowledge about the castle, for example—but others aren’t as kind and won’t show me anything.” Pippa said slowly, obviously thinking this through as she said it. “They try to be helpful for the most part—but none of them will show me how to perform magic. I have to learn that on my own.”

“Ah, that sucks. You could have been a prodigy.” He said and she smiled. “What took so long in your Sorting? I normally wouldn’t ask, but that was the longest stall in, like, probably ever.” Sirius asked, unable to help himself.

“The hat didn’t know whether to put me in Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. It kept getting confused because Ravenclaw wasn’t _me_ , but it kept seeing all of my ancestors’ memories that I’ve inherited, including Rowena’s. Normally it isn’t a problem for my family because we’re all Ravenclaws on our own anyways.” She said. “Except for me, obviously. What about you? Where were you ‘supposed’ to go?” She asked Sirius curiously. It occurred to him that she didn’t know. Hell, he could have been meant to be a Hufflepuff for all she knew. He didn’t want to tell her. Although she was also supposed to have gone to another house, it wasn’t _Slytherin_. Maybe he could keep this friend a little longer if he lied about it.

“Erm, Hufflepuff.” He said, not trying to bullshit her into thinking that he had been slated for the house her family had founded. She blinked at him, blue eyes bearing into his face.

“You’re lying.” She said, her Scottish accent somehow making it sound even blunter than it was already.

“Who told you?” He asked, wondering which one of her ancestors had told.

“No one. You’re just a shit liar.” She said simply with a small shrug.

“Oh.” A silence fell as they stared at each other and before either of them knew what was happening, they were both laughing in hysterics.

“Now, we should probably head back—we have class tomorrow and it’s almost midnight.” Pippa gasped eventually as she got her giggles under control.

“Right. Probably a good idea.” He agreed and they got up, thanking the elves for letting them poke around before returning to Gryffindor tower the way that had left: through the tunnel in the common room. “Tonight was a lot of fun.” He admitted once they had pushed the dresser back to its original home. Pippa smiled at him.

“Yeah, it was. I’m always glad to make a new friend. By the way, there’s nothing wrong with having family in Padfoot.” He blinked at her.

“What?” He asked, certain he had heard wrong.

“I said that there’s nothing wrong with Padfoot Padfoot Padfoot, Padfoot. Didn’t you hear me?” She said, looking worried for him.

“Pippa?”

“Sirius! Padfoot!” She shouted, her voice no longer hers.

“Pippa!”

“Sirius! Wake the fuck up!” She shouted back. It was so loud Sirius jumped and the next thing he knew he was face down on his dorm floor, certain that James had broken his nose when he had pushed him out of bed.

“Ah, he’s awake.” Sirius rolled onto his back to see fifteen-year-old James grinning down at him. “Took you long enough.” Sirius groaned and got up, rubbing his face and checking for blood.

“That doesn’t mean you get to push me onto the floor, Prongs.” He muttered, checking the time. Okay so he overslept a bit. It was like ten minutes.

“Yeah, yeah. Everything okay? You kept saying Thatcher’s name in your sleep.” James said as he pushed Remus out of bed as well. “You were starting to freak out right towards the end.” He nodded.

“Yeah, fine. I just had a weird dream. Our first day here—the train ride and the Sorting and everything.” He said, rubbing his head and starting to get dressed. James nodded.

“Right. I forgot that you two were pretty close in First Year.” James said before greeting Remus with a “Morning, Gorgeous!” before ducking the pillow thrown at him. “What ever happened with her? I don’t think I’ve ever asked.” Sirius shrugged. While one of his last conversations with her had been the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back, they had already been pretty distant at that point.

“Just grew apart, I suppose. It happens, yeah?” James nodded.

“Happens all the time.” He agreed. Sirius hadn’t spoken to Pippa Thatcher in over three years. Their last conversation had been early Second Year, he was pretty sure, but that night—sneaking down to the kitchens on his first night away from home and taking secret passages that no one else knew even _existed_ remained one of his fondest memories of Hogwarts even now, a few months into Fifth Year.

What Sirius didn’t tell James was that he had that dream relatively frequently—it actually was his _only_ recurring dream. Granted it didn’t usually end with James’ voice coming out of the girl’s mouth. Instead of shouting, she told him that there was nothing wrong with having family in Slytherin.

The four boys (it had taken them an extra fifteen minutes to wake Peter) made it down to the Great Hall in time for breakfast, James claiming that this was the year of love for him and Evans. Sirius glanced over at Pippa Thatcher as she talked to her roommates—including aforementioned Lily Evans. She looked mostly the same as she had their first night in the castle, albeit older. The same brown hair and the same piercing, startlingly blue eyes. Sirius always suspected that Ravenclaw House’s colors had come from its founder’s hair and eyes: bronze and blue.

Sirius had been too nervous his first day to really think much about it, but Pippa Thatcher was just as beautiful now—if not more so—as she was that night more than five years ago. Unlike five years ago, however, she was now popular, well liked, and known as an absolute genius in the classroom and one of the nicest people in the world outside of it—in short: perfect. However, part of that was a carefully constructed lie crafted by the girl herself and her friends.

The number of people that knew just how much she liked to raise hell could fit on one hand thanks to the fact that she could convince portraits and ghosts to be “witness” to the fact that someone else had been the one to fill McGonagall’s office to the brim with chicken broth. Her route to humor was different than the Marauders’; when they had been little she had always told Sirius “confuse, don’t abuse”. Not to mention that anything that happened to the Slytherins was automatically blamed on the Marauders. She was so good that she had actually been made _Prefect_ along with Evans and Remus. An exception to the two-prefect rule had been made for her because they hadn’t been able to decide between her and Evans.

Dumbledore took that time to stand, everyone falling silent at the upcoming announcement.

“Attention.” He said. Sirius wondered why he bothered. Everyone was already watching him anyways. “It has come to my attention that someone has been bewitching all of Mr. Filch’s cleaning supplies to the ceiling of all the broom cupboards in the castle and dipping Mrs. Norris’ feet in pink paint every night for the last week.” There was a mass breakout of laughter. Everyone knew about Mrs. Norris and the paint already. There were constantly neon pink paw prints all over the castle—apparently thanks to the fact Filch couldn’t get to his cleaning supplies to mop it up. “I would kindly like to ask that person to stop doing so.” Dumbledore added once everyone had calmed down. “Thank you.”

Everyone resumed breakfast and Sirius glanced down at Pippa to see her laughing with her three girlfriends. It was her and Macdonald. McKinnon and Evans were the straight shooters and while they certainly wouldn’t turn their friends in, they also didn’t participate. Suddenly, there was a screech from over at Slytherin’s table. Everyone looked over to see Bellatrix looking mortified. She opened her mouth to say something and the only thing that came out was the sound of a squawking crow. People erupted into laughter, something that only intensified when the entire Slytherin table started to fall prey to the same and soon they were all making screaming-bird sounds. The rest of the hall was absolutely in tears laughing. McGonagall came stalking down the table.

“Shit. It wasn’t us, was it?” Remus asked and they all shook their heads. “James, Sirius?”

“Not this time, mate.” James said.

“I’m sure it wasn’t.” A voice said from behind him.

“Professor McGonagall.” Sirius said. “I know what you must be thinking—”

“Do you? How many weeks of detention am I thinking of then, Black?” She said, looking royally annoyed.

“Um, one?” Sirius guessed.

“That’s exactly correct. My office, six tonight.” She said and walked off.

“What the hell?” James hissed. “Who the hell did it?” They all looked around to see who the guilty party could possibly be. “Think it was Macdonald?”

“Seriously? With Thatcher and Evans as her roommates?” Peter said. “Not bloody likely.” Sirius glanced down at the girls as the other three boys scanned the hall and Pippa happened to meet his eye. He raised an eyebrow and she winked at him knowingly, obviously stowing her wand into her bag. He mouthed ‘I’ll tell’. She smirked and shook her head a bit. He wouldn’t say anything and she knew it. Eh, it had been worth a shot.

Really, the thing about Filch’s stuff would have to be too easy for her—she was a Prefect: she could just move everything about when she was on rounds after curfew and turn a blind eye when Macdonald dipped the cat’s paws in paint. In terms of the Slytherins? Sirius wasn’t as sure, but there had probably been something in the food—although that wouldn’t require her to have her wand out. Huh. Sirius was still trying to figure out how she had filled McGonagall’s office to the brim with soup and kept it from damaging anything last year.

“Whoever it was, they’re damn good.” James said appreciatively. “Come on, let’s get to class—no need to add onto the detention.” The four of them left the Great Hall, dreading the detention they would be receiving tonight.


	2. Detention

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we're going to be getting into the meat of the story sooner rather than later, but we're still getting through a bit more exposition about Pippa's...gifts for now. A couple more chapters and we'll really get going so just hang in there, you lot!

* * *

“You four will be cleaning up the paw prints all over the castle for your detention tonight.” McGonagall said simply as they handed over their wands that night. “As I’m quite sure you’re responsible for those as well, but can’t prove it.”

“Okay, that wasn’t us.” Sirius protested. “You know our style of pranking and that isn’t it.” He added and she seemed unmoved by that argument.

“Are you going to watch us all night?” Remus asked suddenly.

“I’m not. Two of my _better behaved_ Prefects have offered to help for additional house points, Lupin.” She said and they all exchanged looks just as someone knocked on McGonagall’s office door. “Come in, ladies.” The door opened to reveal Pippa Thatcher and Lily Evans, both of them still in their uniforms looking quite innocent and like they _weren’t_ here so Pippa could watch them clean up after her—which is exactly what they’d be doing tonight. “Thank you for agreeing, Miss Evans, Miss Thatcher.” They both smiled innocently at her.

“Of course, Professor.” Evans said charmingly. “We’ll keep an eye on them.” Pippa nodded and McGonagall shooed all six of them out of her office, tossing the boys mops and buckets and telling them that Pippa and Evans would conjure more water and soap as they needed it.

“How’d you feel about the Runes exam, Lils?” Pippa asked idly as the four boys scrubbed the floors.

“Okay. I reckon I’m safely in E-range. Yourself?”

“Agreed on that. I’m still scared shitless for the OWL though.” She sighed. Sirius looked up to see Evans nodded; both girls perched on a windowsill above the laboring boys.

“Are you two having fun?” James snapped. Both girls looked over at him.

“More than you are, certainly. Thank you for asking Potter.” Evans said. Pippa suppressed a smile. “This is what you get, honestly.”

“Us? You know this wasn’t us, right, Evans?” Sirius said, stopping his scrubbing. The other three boys looked over at him. “You should ask your fellow Prefect what she’s been doing on rounds for the last week.” He gestured to the pink paint. They all looked over at Pippa, who looked amused.

“Please, do you honestly think that anyone would believe that _I_ did this?” No. He was still right though.

“You have to give him credit for realizing that it wasn’t him though.” Evans said with a giggle. Pippa grinned.

“Yeah, he gets credit for being self-aware—but that’s about it.”

“It was _you_?” James asked, his mouth hanging open. Pippa shrugged.

“I know…it’s rather dull, but unlike you, I don’t have roommates that are all willing to help. They just turn a blind eye except for Mary. She’s the only one that’ll play ball.” She sighed. “Still, this was admittedly uninspired.” She gestured to the paint on the ground.

“Yeah, not your best work. The soup in McGonagall’s office is my personal favorite, so you know. Huge fan.” Sirius said. Pippa grinned, taking a small bow from her perch on the windowsill.

“You _knew_?” Remus asked Sirius. “You knew it was her all along and didn’t say anything?”

“Course I knew. Who do you think got me into pranking in the first place?” He said. They all looked at Pippa. Sirius had been the one to bring pranking to the table with the boys and they really had Pippa Thatcher to thank for that.

“Oh my God. They’re your fault, Pip.” Evans said accusingly, looking scandalized. Pippa laughed at that.

“No, _he’s_ my fault.” She motioned to Sirius. “It’s not my fault that he shared his newfound love with his roommates. I’ll only take responsibility for the one.”

“No, but it is your fault that they can get around the castle so freakishly fast.” Evans argued back. “I can’t believe I never thought about that. Pippa…look at what you’ve done to us all.”

“She was the one that found all the passages?” Remus asked, looking surprised. “How did you know there would be any passages at all? Aren’t you Muggleborn?” Okay, so Pippa’s story had changed since First Year when she had told Lily that her mom had told her about the ceiling in the Great Hall. As Voldemort rose to power in their Second Year, she had been forced to start saying that she was Muggleborn to hide suspicion of her heritage. The last conversation Sirius had had with her in Second Year was when she had told him that if anyone ever asked, she was a Muggleborn for all he knew.

“Come on, Lupin—where’s your sense of adventure?” She asked with a shrug. “Speaking of all of this, where’re Mare and Marles?” She asked.

“Marles is actually getting some work done and Mare’s…‘out and about’, I believe she said.” Evans said and Sirius raised an eyebrow.

“Holy shit, Evans you’re in on all of this.” Sirius said.

“No way that all of this has been _all of_ _them_.” James said, gesturing to the girls. “They wouldn’t know a joke if it punched them in the face.”

“I don’t know—this is pretty funny.” Evans said and Pippa grinned. “But I’m not ‘in on it’ per say. I just…look the other way and laugh when funny things happen.” She said with a shrug.

“Come on, Lils. Don’t encourage them—let them do their cleaning or we’ll be here all night.” Pippa said and Sirius rolled his eyes at her. They all sat there in silence for about an hour before there was a solitary scream from somewhere far away in the castle, making them all jump.

“What was that?” Lily asked tensely.

“It’s probably someone taking the piss, Evans. Calm down.” James said.

“That wasn’t someone taking the piss.” Sirius said suddenly. “There’s something wrong.” They all looked at him. He ignored the stares, not wanting to share that he knew what the screams of torture sounded like. “Pippa…where in the castle was it?” Everyone’s eyes redirected to her.

“Do I look like a map of the castle?” He raised an eyebrow. “Don’t answer that.” She added and thought. “Going off how faint it was and the echo…I reckon around the library.” She said after a minute. “What? I have a good internal map.” She defended, obviously talking to Remus, James, and Peter—no way Evans _didn’t_ know about her heritage. There was the same scream again.

“We need to go. Now.” Evans said suddenly. “That’s Mary.” Before anyone had really processed it, Pippa and Evans were halfway down the hallway, running. The four boys ran after them, trying to keep up with the erratic turns that Pippa was making. Sirius wasn’t sure how she was managing that in her heels, but it was damn impressive that her and Evans were managing to outrun them in bloody pumps.

“Oi, Thatcher, library’s this way.” James said, stopping at a corridor. She ignored him and kept running, Lily on her heels. The four boys followed them just in time to see them slip behind a tapestry, lighting their wands and continuing to run. “Did you know this was here? I didn’t know this was here.” James muttered to the other three blokes.

“Nope.” Remus said as they reached the end of the tunnel a ways back behind the girls. Suddenly, there was another scream—a different one. A different girl. Another—a third girl—echoed the same panic.

“Lily.” James said immediately.

“Pippa.” Sirius said, all four of them running out into the hallway. “Moony, you’re fastest. Run and get help. Something’s really wrong—and take Wormtail with you. He’s useless in a duel, which it might come to.” He added. The two boys ran off as Sirius and James walked towards where Lily was trying to shake someone awake. Pippa was just standing there.

“Oh no.” James said quietly. It was Mary Macdonald and she looked like she was dying, if not already dead. Lily looked up at Pippa.

“What do we do? How do we help her?” She asked, crying. Pippa was staring at her friend blankly. “Pippa!”

“I don’t know, Lily! _I don’t fucking know!”_ She screamed back, starting to cry. “Do you see where she’s bleeding from?” She asked after a second, wiping her eyes.

“E—everywhere. Um, her stomach. I think.” Lily stuttered out. Pippa nodded a couple times.

“Potter, please remove Lily. Sirius, if you wouldn’t mind helping me, that’d be great.” She said, taking a deep breath. Sirius blinked in surprise, but went with it as James pulled Evans off her unconscious friend. “You know how to heal, right?”

“A bit—not much.”

“First aid though, bandages and applying pressure and all that?”

“Yeah, I’m decent.”

“Better than nothing.” She said, handing him her wand—as his was currently back with McGonagall. “I’m going to try and get back into some older memories—maybe there’s a Healer in my family—but I don’t know how it’s going to go. Only worry if I start bleeding from somewhere that _isn’t_ my nose—a nosebleed is fine. Slap me awake.” He nodded and she closed her eyes, Sirius trying to keep pressure on where Mary’s wounds looked the worst.

“Oi, now’s not the time to meditate, Thatcher.” James snapped.

“Shut it, Prongs. She’s trying to help.” Sirius said absently, binding the girl’s wounds magically. Thankfully, Pippa’s wand appeared to like him and listened to him pretty well.

“And how is that going to help?” James asked. Lily looked at him.

“You don’t know? Pippa always assumed you knew.” She said blankly. “Black, she thought you told all of them.” She added, looking at Sirius. He shook his head.

“I haven’t told anyone. That’s not mine to tell.” He said and checked Macdonald’s pulse. It was still there. He glanced at Pippa, who was now suffering from a violent nosebleed. “Erm, what’s happening to her?”

“She’s pushing too hard at her limits. We need to wake her up.” Lily said.

“She said only to wake her up if she started bleeding from somewhere that isn’t her nose.” Sirius said, looking at the girl who was still kneeling beside him.

“Why’s she bleeding at all?” James asked.

“I thought she couldn’t control what and who she remembered.” Sirius said.

“Last you spoke to her, she couldn’t—but that was almost four years ago. She’s been training with Dumbledore. She can look back with control to a certain point, but going back too much, looking at too much at once, can hurt her—kill her even—especially when she has force it; she’s practically ripping memories away from their owners.” Lily said. “We need to wake her up—that’s the first sign that it’s too much for her body.” Sirius hesitated, but shook his head.

“She said to wait, Evans. I reckon she knows her body better than you do.” He said and Evans rolled her eyes.

“I reckon she’s more sacrificial with her body than I am.” She snapped, but didn’t hit her friend awake. Sirius suspected that Evans would rather not hit her friend if she didn’t have to. Suddenly blood started to stream out from under her eyelids, like tears. Okay, that was too much. Sirius smacked her in the arm. “You need to hit her face. Either you do it or Potter can let me go and I can.”

“James, let her go. I’m not going to hit her in the face.” James released Evans who reached down and hit her friend across the face. Hard. Her eyes popped open.

“Dammit, Lily! I almost had something!” She shouted at her friend.

“I don’t need both of you to be hurt, Philippa!” Lily shouted back. Soon, there were sounds of footsteps approaching.

“I need to leave.” Pippa said suddenly. “If Dumbledore sees me like this, he’s going to freak out.” She tried to stand and her legs gave out. Sirius caught her before she hit the floor again.

“Maybe you _should_ see Dumbledore.” Sirius said and she shook her head.

“No, no I’m fine. I just need rest—but not the five days of it that Madam Pomfrey will prescribe.” She said, trying to stand up again. Sirius looked at Evans, asking if he should help her up or try and keep her down. She nodded a little.

“Okay, come on.” He said and helped her stand.

“Just go hide back in the tunnel. We’ll say that we all got separated looking for Mary.” Lily said and Sirius nodded, pulling one of Pippa’s arms around his shoulders and putting an arm around her waist, partially carrying her back into the hidden tunnel and closing the portrait behind them. Sirius lit Pippa’s wand to give them some light.

“Do you need to sit?” He asked her and she nodded. He helped her to the ground and she leaned against the wall of the tunnel, looking exhausted. “Why don’t we get some of the blood off your face in case Dumbledore accidentally finds us or something?” He suggested and she nodded, holding a shaking hand out for her wand. They both stared at the shaking hand and she sighed.

“I know. You do it then.” She said, gesturing to the bloody tear tracks that were starting to dry onto her cheeks. Sirius hesitated, not wanting to test his terrible cleaning skills on her _face_ of all places. Instead he conjured a towel, wetting it with a quick aguamenti and handing it to her. She obviously tried to hold on, but it slipped out of her hand. Poor girl. “Well that’s embarrassing.” She murmured.

“Do you need some help?” He asked, trying not to smile at the look on her face. Sirius wasn’t offended because he knew it wasn’t aimed at him. She looked like she was just…annoyed at her own body. She looked up at him and half-smiled back.

“It’s fine. I’ll just walk around looking like the Bloody Baron until further notice.” She said, obviously biting her lip to stop from giggling.

“Have you _ever_ taken a good look at that bloke?” Sirius asked skeptically. She actually smiled.

“Well on second thought, maybe some help would be nice.” She admitted. “I promise not to rattle my ghostly chains at you.” She added with a small smile as he picked up the towel from where it had fallen into her lap.

It was a strangely intimate thing, wiping blood off someone’s face and it had very little to do with the fact that you were handling someone else’s blood. Maybe it was how closely you had to look at her face or how you actually had to pay attention to whether or not you were rubbing it away too harshly or maybe it was because the other person had nothing else to do but stare at you. Regardless, Sirius felt himself growing acutely uncomfortable with it and was reminded that he had a girlfriend that would be less than pleased if she found out about this—although it was nothing more than a civic duty, really. Who let a girl walk around with her own blood all over her face when she was too weak to wipe it off herself?

“There you go.” He said quietly, vanishing the towel “Do you feel okay to try and stand?” He asked and she experimentally tried to stand up. She seemed much steadier on her feet. They heard James talking loudly.

“I could have sworn they said they were going to check _the fifth floor_ , Professor. They have _no idea_ what’s happened.” James said loudly as he walked by the portrait.

“Yes, no need to shout it to the Astronomy tower, Potter.” That was McGonagall. Sirius and Pippa exchanged looks and quickly walked down the tunnel and arrived at the fifth floor much quicker than the professor could have possibly gotten there.

“Here.” Sirius said and handed Pippa her wand back, killing the light coming from the end of it.

“Thanks. So we don’t know what’s happened.” She said and soon heard footsteps behind them. They turned to see Professor McGonagall being trailed by James.

“See, fifth floor—just like I said.” He said proudly, winking at them behind McGonagall’s back.

“Yes, I’m glad you’re proud Potter.” She said. “Miss Thatcher…I’m afraid that this might come as a bit of a shock to you, so perhaps you might want to take a moment.”

“No, I don’t _want_ to take a moment—I heard Mary screaming like her life depended on it. What’s going on?” She demanded, selling this all very convincingly.

“Miss Evans and Mr. Potter found her on the fourth floor near the library. She has been very seriously injured and is being taken to St. Mungo’s to be treated.” Pippa’s eyes widened in shock.

“Injured? How?” She asked.

“I’m assuming she didn’t just trip and knock herself out.” Sirius added and McGonagall nodded in agreement sadly.

“I think Professor Dumbledore is better suited to explain than I am.” McGonagall said and walked them towards the headmaster’s office. They arrived there without incident.

“Acid pops.” McGonagall said and the statues moved aside, letting them in. Dumbledore was there with Evans, Remus, and Peter looking quite somber.

“Thank you, Minerva.” He said and the woman nodded and ducked out of the room, leaving the six students there with the old man.

“What’s happened to Mary?” Pippa asked. “Professor McGonagall wouldn’t say.” She added, looking to everyone in the room. Well, she was a damn good liar. She’d improved quite a bit since she was eleven.

“We believe she was attacked—likely by another student.” Pippa looked like someone had kicked her in the teeth, but nodded tightly. “Which you already knew, Philippa.” He added.

“Get out of my head.” She said sharply. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you that it’s rude to look in places you’re not wanted?” Sirius raised an eyebrow at the tone. That was…well, it took balls to talk to Dumbledore like that.

“I didn’t look into your mind, Miss Thatcher—I didn’t need to. You missed some blood around your nose when you were making an attempt to trick me into thinking you didn’t act incredibly recklessly and thoughtlessly when you found Miss Macdonald’s body on the fourth floor—not on the fifth that James Potter claimed you had gone to search with Mr. Black.” He said calmly. Pippa’s hand went to her nose before she glared at the old man again.

“Mary’s not a _body_. She’s a person—a good one. And my friend.” She said, crossing her arms.

“Of course. My apologies. If everyone wouldn’t mind leaving us, Philippa and I have a few things to discuss that are quite private and then Miss Thatcher will be going to the hospital wing to be examined by Madam Pomfrey.” Dumbledore said. Remus and Peter left immediately, as they hadn’t seen Pippa’s bleeding and weren’t very alarmed by her condition at all. James and Sirius hesitated, but left as well. Sirius caught Evans asking if Pippa would be okay to walk back to the common room alone tonight—especially when everyone thought she was Muggleborn. Sirius thought that was a great question actually. Macdonald was a _half-blood_ and she had been attacked—albeit many considered her mother’s family to be full of blood traitors for marrying Muggles and Muggleborns so frequently.

“I’ll be fine, Lily.” She said softly. “I don’t exactly take the normal route back, yeah?” Evans nodded before following the boys out of the office.

“Evans, what the hell happened to her?” James asked as they quietly walked back to the tower.

“None of your business, Potter.”

“Like hell it’s none of my business. I just lied to two different professors—one of which is the greatest wizard that’s ever lived—and no one will tell me why.” James hissed. Evans sighed.

“I’m in no position to tell you. You need to ask Pippa about it. Until then, don’t breathe a word.” She said. James looked like he was going to argue, but he didn’t. They walked in silence until they reached the tower. “Black? Keep him on a leash about this until he talks to her. You know how bad it could be if word got out.” She added and walked up to the girls’ room, likely to inform Marlene McKinnon that her roommate was in the hospital. James looked at Sirius.

“You know what’s going on?” He asked.

“Yeah, sort of. I haven’t really spoken to her since Second Year—except for tonight—but I know the general outline of what happened. She’s right though, Prongs. If word got out about this, it could mean a lot of danger for her.”

“Because she had a nosebleed?”

“Look, I’ll tell you one thing—and you can’t tell anyone.” He nodded. “She’s not really a Muggleborn.” James blinked in surprise. “How much danger do you think she’s _really_ in if she’s pretending to be Muggleborn in a time like this, when Muggleborns are wanted for dead?” He nodded.

“Right. Course. Not a word to anyone—including Pete or Moony.”

“Yeah, including them.”

“Now, let’s head to bed.” James said. “Shit, McGonagall never gave us our wands back.” James said suddenly. Sirius groaned.

“We’ll have to get them from her tomorrow morning before class.” He sighed.

“Yeah. Come on, sleep is calling.” James said and Sirius nodded. “Quidditch practice tomorrow morning, mate.”

“Shit. I forgot about that.” He groaned and followed James upstairs to bed.

* * *

“I’m bored.” Sirius looked over at Pippa and raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah? And what do you want me to do about that?”

“I don’t know…something.” She said, crossing her arms and pouting. “Want to try to fill Slughorn’s classroom with rubber chickens?” She asked, pulling one out of her backpack hopefully. It made a squeaking sound. Sirius grinned.

“Yeah, alright.” He said and followed her out of the common room towards the dungeons, listening to her chatter about how they really just needed to put a spell on about a dozen of them to keep multiplying to fill up the space they had so when Slughorn opened the door later on, they’d all fall out and keep multiplying.

“Here, I’ll show you the charm.” She said, stopping and turning around, holding out the rubber chicken. It was only then that Sirius realized that Pippa was only a child here—only eleven or twelve. Suddenly her ears, eyes, mouth, and nose all started to gush blood.

“Oh my God.” He said and she looked at him.

“What? What’s the matter?”

“You’re bleeding everywhere. I—I need to get someone. You need a healer.” He said and she shook her head.

“No, I want to go fill Slughorn’s classroom with rubber chickens.” She said, shrugging. “Come on, don’t ruin the fun, Sirius.” She grinned, the blood coming from all of her orifices making it look twisted.

“Ruin the—you’re going to die for a stupid prank!” He shouted at her. She shrugged again. “Pippa, we’re going to the hospital wing now.” He said and tried to pull her out of the dungeons. Suddenly, she went completely limp and Sirius barely caught the twelve-year-old in time. It was like catching a sack of potatoes: all dead weight. “Pippa?” He shook her shoulder. “Pippa, come on wake up!” He shook her harder and she didn’t respond. “Pippa, come on please don’t be dead. Philippa, goddammit you’re not allowed to die.” She still didn’t move. “Pippa!”

Sirius woke up with a start and looked around his room, opening his curtains a bit to do so. It was the middle of the night and everyone was asleep.

“Padfoot?” James poked his head out from his curtains. Sirius opened his curtains a bit more.

“Yeah?” He whispered back.

“You okay? You were…moaning—and not the good kind.” He asked, rubbing his eyes.

“Yeah, I’m fine, Prongs. Go back to sleep.” Sirius said and James nodded before going back behind his curtains. His snoring restarted in about five minutes as Sirius stared at the top of the canopy of his bed. Fucking dreams.


	3. Careful, Your Scottish is Showing

The next morning Pippa wasn’t at breakfast with her friends. Her _two_ friends left at the school—as she was currently missing and Macdonald was in St. Mungo’s. So, Evans and McKinnon were sitting on their own, looking quite solemn.

“Black, Potter, Lupin, Pettigrew.” They all turned to see McGonagall. “You forgot to retrieve your wands in light of last night’s…incident.” She handed them to them. “Also, considering what happened last night, you’re excused from the rest of your detentions.” They all nodded.

“Thank you, Professor.” Remus said and she walked off. “Well, that’s nice—although I’d rather it not come from one of our classmates almost being murdered.” He said and the other three nodded in agreement as they all pocketed their wands. Unlike yesterday, there were no bird noises from the Slytherin table or an announcement to stop sticking all of Filch’s stuff to the ceiling. Sirius hadn’t ever missed being framed for something before, but supposed this is what it felt like.

Suddenly, Tiffany appeared from seemingly nowhere. She was the girlfriend Sirius had reminded himself that he currently had last night as he had been mopping up Pippa’s blood. Tiffany was a nice girl for the most part, cute, blonde, and bubbly from Hufflepuff. Granted, she was a bit slow on the uptake, but she was a nice, safe choice for a girlfriend.

“Hey, how was detention?” She asked, sitting down beside the boys. The four of them exchanged looks. “That bad?” She added. They all nodded. “Sucks you have to go again tonight.”

“Actually, McGonagall let us out of it—I guess she was feeling charitable or something.” Sirius said. She looked shocked, not like Sirius could blame her. Anyone that had ever met McGonagall even in passing could guess how rare that was.

“Seriously?” Tiffany asked looking like Christmas had come early. “Oh, you can come with me to the Slug Club party tomorrow night then!” Sirius blinked in surprise. Shit.

“I didn’t know you were part of the Slug Club.” He said. “I don’t think you’ve ever mentioned it.” She shrugged.

“He just invites me because my grandfather is a big deal in the Ministry or whatever so he never pays me a ton of attention. He much prefers to pick the minds of the people there that were invited because _they’re_ actually smart.” She said.

“You’re smart.” Sirius said reflexively. Remus, James, and Peter all immediately agreed. “See?” She smiled a bit, looking grateful.

“Will you go with me? It’s always dreadful. I never have a date and we’re not all like Thatcher—who somehow makes it seem cool.” Sirius supposed that was because Pippa honestly didn’t care if she had a date or not. “It’s always embarrassing that we’re the only ones and she pulls it off much better than I do.”

“Yeah, course I’ll go. Is it just a dinner?”

“Not even—just stand around in fancy clothes, eat some finger food, mingle, and leave. Should be done by about nine or so.” She said.

“Sounds good. Do I need to wear dress robes?”

“Nah, just a dress shirt and some decent pants. The girls go all out with their dresses though.” Didn’t sound too painful and it seemed to perk Tiffany up a bit, so whatever.

“I think I can handle that.” He said.

“Oi, Evans!” James said, making Lily pause as she left the Great Hall with McKinnon, looking distinctly sad and unsettled.

“What, Potter?” She sighed, looking quite annoyed already.

“Where’s Thatcher? Just saw her last night.”

“Hospital wing. She came down with a really high fever late last night so we took her early this morning.” Evans said. “Thank you for asking though.” She added, looking slightly touched by James’ obvious concern for her friend.

“Oh, I hope nothing’s going around.” Tiffany said. “I really _do_ hate being sick.” Sirius had to agree with her on that, but also suspected that Pippa’s sudden illness was a bit different than the flu and not nearly as catching. You couldn’t contract being related to Rowena Ravenclaw, after all.

“Yeah, that’d be awful—right in time for midyear exams in about a month.” Remus agreed as they all fell into comfortable conversation.

* * *

 

“I’m so regretting agreeing to this.” Sirius said as he put on a decent shirt, all of his roommates in sweatpants and t-shirts, sitting about in bed.

“Perks of not having a girlfriend: we can just sit around and do whatever we want.” Remus said, not looking up from his book. “You need to get going.” He added absently. Sirius flipped them all off—even though no one looked up—and walked out of the dorm and towards the third floor. Tiffany had agreed to meet halfway on the staircase as the Hufflepuff common room was so far away from Gryffindor tower. She was waiting on the third floor, where she greeted him with a smile.

“Hey.” She said and kissed him quickly. “You clean up well.” She said. He smiled back. She was in a powder blue dress that was lacy on top and went all the way to the floor. Her blonde hair was curled, as it was normally straight.

“You look beautiful.” He said. “Should we go?”

“Yeah, definitely.” She agreed and they walked, making small talk about nothing in particular.

“Oh, wow when you meant ‘party’ you meant it.” Sirius observed as they walked into a decorated room with couples milling around, talking to each other.

“Yeah, it can be fun if someone manages to get a bottle of something strong into the punch before Slughorn starts drinking it.” Tiffany said, making Sirius laugh.

“Oh, I’d pay good money to see that.”

“You might get lucky tonight and get to see it for free.” She giggled as Slughorn came over to greet them.

“Ah, Miss Best, it’s lovely to see you!” He said jovially to Tiffany. “And you brought Mr. Black with you! It’s good to see you both!” He added. “Black, you wouldn’t happen to know if Miss Thatcher is coming tonight, do you? I know she’s been ill recently and I thought you might know, as you’re in her house and year. There’s someone here I want her to meet.” He asked. Sirius shrugged a bit. He hadn’t thought about whether she’d be here tonight or not. Sirius wondered how long it took to recover from something like what had happened the night they found Mary.

“I have no idea. We don’t really talk much.” He said and he nodded.

“Of course. I suppose I’ll ask Miss Evans when she arrives.” He said and wandered off, now that his questions had been answered.

“Told you: he’s only interested in the smart ones.” Tiffany said.

“You’re smart, Tiffany—you just need to stop telling people otherwise.” Sirius said. For as nice as she was, she had terrible self-esteem. She smiled a bit.

“Sorry for complaining.” She said. “Oh, come meet my friends!” She said and pulled him over to a group of people waving. “I don’t think you’ve ever met before.”

Tiffany’s friends were all very nice—and all a bit like her: cute, nice, and not the quickest minds (but also not dumb). They were all just very…normal people.

Evans showed up with her date (some older bloke from Ravenclaw that Sirius didn’t recognize) and when Slughorn loudly asked her about Pippa, she said that last she heard, the other girl hadn’t made up her mind yet, as she was still recovering and Madam Pomfrey was very hesitant to let her go anywhere. Slughorn deflated a bit at this, but nevertheless chatted Lily’s ear off for a good half hour before he left to go mingle some more. The only reason Sirius knew that last part was because he spoke so bloody loud and said the name of the person he was talking to every three words.

“Ah, Miss Thatcher!” Slughorn exclaimed after Sirius and Tiffany had been there for about an hour. “We were all worried you wouldn’t come!”

They both turned around to see Slughorn making his way to the door, where Pippa had just walked in wearing a long-sleeved dark blue dress—albeit the sleeves were sheer despite the sparkling beading on them. It was floor-length like the other girls’ but had a shockingly plunging neckline, stopping only a few inches above where her belly button probably was, and was covered in intricate beading along the torso that became sparser near her thighs and knees only for there to be more beading on the bottom (probably to hide her shoes). Her long bronze hair was in loose curls delicately wrapped around one of her shoulders. She didn’t appear to be wearing any jewelry—which was unusual judging by what other girls were wearing. Maybe it was because her dress was already so sparkly. It hugged her perfectly, fluttering down around her legs.

_She’s gorgeous,_ Sirius thought before telling himself to shut up because he had a perfectly lovely girlfriend standing right next to him.

“I’m sorry, Professor. I fell ill a few days ago and had quite the…disagreement with Madam Pomfrey about whether I was well enough to come.” She said charmingly with a smile. Slughorn looked like he could fall over and die he was so flattered that she had argued with the famously stern matron adamantly enough that she had actually won the argument.

“Ah, she wore blue and curled her hair too.” Tiffany sighed. “I thought I might be able to be the only one.” Sure enough, they were the only two here in blue or with curled hair.

“I bet no one even noticed.” Sirius said. “Yours is light and hers is much darker. And you have completely different hair anyways.” She nodded a bit. Sirius didn’t tell his girlfriend that Pippa’s dress matched her eyes, which it did. Perfectly. She didn’t seem convinced.

“I suppose.” She said. “I wonder who Slughorn wanted her to meet.”

“Don’t know. My guess is that he’ll shout the introduction to the room though, so I wouldn’t worry much about never finding out.” Sirius said and she smiled a bit. “So, what’s your class like with him?” He asked, nodding towards Slughorn. “He always has favorites—who are the favorites in yours?”

“Hufflepuff and Slytherin have class together, but he isn’t too bad about playing favorites with his entire house. His main favorite is Snape—he’s a bit…greasy, but he’s brilliant at Potions. He also really likes Edna Bullstrode.”

“She’s good at Potions? I didn’t know that. Actually, I didn’t know she was good at anything.” Sirius said.

“Miss Thatcher, I have someone I want you to meet!” Slughorn suddenly said loudly—and from across the room from where Pippa had been talking to Evans and Evans’ date, the Ravenclaw bloke.

“Ah, here’s your answer.” Sirius said to Tiffany, who tried not to laugh at the sudden silence that overtook the room. Pippa looked quite embarrassed by everyone staring at her, where Slughorn was waving her over. She quickly walked over, her heels clicking and her face turning a bit pink.

“Oi! Everyone get back to it! Prefect’s orders!” Evans said loudly. Soon, talk started back up, but that didn’t stop Slughorn from being audible over the crowd.

“Miss Thatcher, this is Alastor Moody. Alastor, this is Philippa Thatcher, the girl I was telling you about.”

“Moody?” Sirius asked. “The famous Auror?”

“Maybe she wants to be an Auror after we graduate or something.” Tiffany said. “Not like we’ll ever know—Sluggy might scream when he talks, but not everyone does.” Sirius had to give her that. “So, who does he play favorites to in your class? You’re with Ravenclaw, right?” Sirius nodded.

“Yeah, we’re with Ravenclaw. Evans—Lily—is one, so is Pippa—as we just saw—and the Belby bloke in Ravenclaw. I never remember his first name though—Democles or Demarcus or something.” He said. She raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“You told Slughorn that you don’t talk to her.”

“Talk to who?”

“Thatcher.”

“Yeah, I don’t.” He said, wondering what was happening.

“You just called her Pippa. Only her friends call her Pippa.” She said suspiciously. Sirius blinked in surprise.

“Oh, did I? Yeah, we were pretty close in First Year, but ended up just kind of drifting apart sometime during Second. Old habit, I suppose.” He said with a shrug, telling the truth. Tiffany eyed him strangely, but didn’t comment any further.

Thankfully for his relationship, Pippa left him alone all night—she appeared to be making the rounds, talking to about everyone but them—and spent a good bit of her night talking to Alastor Moody with an intently interested look on her face. Sirius wondered what the man could be telling her that left her so fascinated.

At about ten—it had run longer than Tiffany had guessed—one of the blokes from manning the toilets came running in, shouting for Professor Slughorn at the top of his lungs.

“What in Merlin’s beard is going on?” He asked impatiently.

“The toilets, sir! They just…started filling up!” He gasped.

“They’re toilets, Longbottom—they fill up with water: it’s what they do.” A couple people chuckled at that.

“No, sir. They started filling up with _ducks_. Live ones.” He said, the entire room bursting into laughter. “The entire men’s loo is filled with them. I think the ladies’ is too—I can hear them all quacking through the door.” People continued to laugh, some people trying to get a look at the ducks in the loo. “There must be three dozen in there.” Slughorn’s face turned a color of unfortunate red.

“Black!” He shouted. Fuck.

“Um, yes Professor?” He asked, Tiffany trailing him as he approached the tubby man.

“What did you do?”

“This wasn’t me, Professor. I didn’t even know I’d be attending until yesterday. I thought I was going to have detention with Professor McGonagall tonight instead.” He said.

“Yes, you were serving detention for making all of Slytherin house squawk like birds, weren’t you?” He asked. “Really, you should get away from the bird theme—it’s becoming a bit predictable. Detention tomorrow night.” He said. Tiffany raised an eyebrow.

“Was it really you?” She asked. He shook his head.

“No, it really wasn’t me.” He said.

“Who was it then?” She asked. Sirius looked around and shrugged before realizing. _“You should get away from the bird theme,”_ Slughorn had said. He looked around and saw Pippa chatting with a couple Ravenclaws a year younger than them. She looked amused and just as they walked away she looked up—probably feeling him looking at her. She raised an eyebrow at him. He raised a knowing eyebrow back at her, silently asking her ‘ducks? Really? You can do better than that’ She shrugged. ‘Enjoy detention,’ she mouthed before someone else caught her attention. Pippa had asked him if he really thought anyone would believe him if he said that it was her pulling all these pranks. Maybe it was time to test that theory.

“I think it was Pippa—Thatcher.” He said. Tiffany laughed.

“ _Sure_ it was. Seriously, who do you think it was?” She repeated. “Could’ve been Potter—although I reckon you’d know if it was. He’d have to be keeping seventy live ducks somewhere, after all. Besides, ducks aren’t really his style. Didn’t he pass out during out Third Year because we had to touch flobberworms in Care of Magical Creatures? Not exactly an animal person, is he?”

Wow, Pippa had done such a job on the school that you could tell someone that it had been her and they’d just laugh and immediately turn it around on one of the Marauders. Well, she wasn’t a relative of Rowena Ravenclaw’s for nothing, Sirius supposed. That definitely explained why she had been late in getting here: she had been finding a way to smuggle seventy-two ducks into the toilets without anyone noticing.

“Do you reckon the toilets are safe now?” Tiffany asked. “I’d like to use them.” Sirius looked over and saw people going in and out of the ladies’ room.

“Looks like it. Try not to get pecked to death.” He said and she laughed, walking off. Sirius quickly understood why Tiffany had wanted a date: it was odd being here alone and true to her word, Pippa was the only dateless one now that Sirius was going with Tiffany.

“Oh, hello Sirius.” Pippa said, coming out of nowhere. He blinked in surprise.

“Pippa. How are you?”

“I’ve just escaped you see.” She said, looking around.

“Erm, escaped?”

“Yeah, this bloody First Year keeps trying to cop a feel of my bum. I agreed to dance with him once because I felt bad when he asked and next thing I know he’s got his head between my tits and a hand on my ass.” She muttered. Ew. “I told him I was feeling quite unwell again and started ‘coughing’.”

“Pippa, he’s a _First Year_.” Sirius said. “I think you can take him.”

“I’m in heels and a dress, Sirius. I’m only so bloody good.” She said.

“I don’t suppose you actually had a fever?” He said and she shrugged.

“A fever? Yes. The flu? No. Dumbledore made me go get checked out by Pomfrey after he’d properly berated me for being ‘so stupidly reckless and endangering my own life’ or whatever and she found the fever. I overextended and started to burn out my own body by trying to look through too much.” She said quietly. “It broke this morning, but Madam Pomfrey wanted to keep me some extra time. I have to go back to the hospital wing for another night after I leave here and then I’ll be back in class.”

“You were _that_ committed to this party?” He asked skeptically.

“Well, first off, Lily might have unlocked the windows in the toilets, but someone had to levitate the ducks in from outside.” She said. “After that, it was just a spell to multiply how many you saw. There’s only one duck in each bathroom—it’s just an illusion.” Sirius rolled his eyes. “Sorry about the detention, by the way.”

“No you’re not.” He said flatly. She laughed.

“Yeah, I’m not.” She agreed, still smiling.

“I thought Evans didn’t take part.” He said.

“She agreed to make me feel better. I get pissy after being in the hospital wing and she thought this might help pull me out of my funk. She was right because I feel brilliant.” She said with a shrug.

“And second?” He prompted, realizing that if she had said ‘first off’ there had to be a second reason she had decided to come.

“Second, I already had the dress and it seemed like a waste not to wear it.” She said with a shrug, looking down at her body.

“Your First Year friend certainly thinks so.” She made a face. “What’s the bloke’s name?”

“Gilderoy Lockhart.” She said. “Ravenclaw, I think.” He nodded.

“Never heard of him.” She shrugged, glancing behind her.

“Shit, that’s him.” She muttered. “It’s been lovely, but I’m going to find a new hiding place.” She added.

“Hold on.” He said and she raised an eyebrow, but didn’t move.

“You better know what you’re doing. I don’t want to have to make another escape.” She hissed, rolling her eyes as the boy tapped her arm from behind. He was quite tall for a First Year, but Pippa was a bit tall on her own and was in heels. She turned around to look at him. “Gilderoy. I’m sorry about earlier, but I just wasn’t feeling well. Besides, I wouldn’t want to get anyone else sick.” She said politely.

The boy seemed unfazed. He was annoyingly blonde and was eyeing Pippa’s cleavage. Okay, to be fair to the kid, she had a great set of boobs, but he was also being blatantly rude to her. Women weren’t meat and it became even grosser when Sirius thought about how low Pippa’s dress was cut and the fact the kid was eye-level with her skin.

“That’s perfectly fine. I don’t mind if you get me ill as well.” He said. Okay, that was a bit weird. “We can pick up where we left off.” It wasn’t a question.

“Oh, I—um—I’m really not feeling well and—”

“I told you, I don’t mind.” He said. This kid was fucking rude. Sirius touched Pippa’s shoulder gently to get her attention. She looked at him.

“What’s his name? Gilderoy?” Sirius asked her. She nodded. “Okay, well Gilderoy, you’re just a kid so I’m going to tell you when you’re young and might actually listen. First, don’t tell women to do anything for you—especially touch you in any way, including dancing—it’s rude, gross, and patronizing. You ask women to dance; you don’t tell them. Second, keep your hands and all of your other body parts away places they’re not invited to touch. How would you like it if girls just walked around grabbing your cock whenever they wanted because they can?” He asked. The boy looked shocked.

“They have no right.” He said, clearly revolted.

“Well why do you think you _do_ have the right to do the same? How do you think Pippa felt when you touched her in a way she clearly didn’t want to be touched?” He didn’t answer. “Third, when a woman says ‘no’, _she means no_. She doesn’t mean ‘maybe’ or ‘I don’t know’, she means no. If she tries to get away, let her because women—like men—have a right to personal space and we aren’t entitled to that space; we have to be invited into it, which is a _privilege_. Are we clear?” The boy nodded a little, looking terrified. “Now apologize to Pippa for being so rude and for making her uncomfortable.”

“Sorry, Pippa.” He muttered.

“Will it happen again?” Sirius prompted.

“No.” He mumbled, looking at his feet.

“Pippa, do you forgive him?”

“Thank you for the apology, Gilderoy.” Pippa said softly. “But I take my personal space very seriously. Please leave me alone from now on.” He nodded and walked off. She visibly relaxed. “Thanks.” She said to Sirius. “I should let you go—I can see your date coming back from the toilets. It appears that they figured out that there’s really only one duck in each.” She sighed the last sentence sadly. “See you around, Sirius. By the way, fifteen points to Gryffindor for being a good role model to younger students and for standing up for your housemates.” She added with a smile and Sirius was reminded that she could award house points as a Prefect. Wait, why didn’t Remus ever give them house points? She waved a bit and walked off, hips swaying and catching the attention of most of the men she walked past as she crossed the room to Lily.

A few seconds later, Tiffany came back—seemingly unharmed.

“I see they sorted out the ducks.” He said and she nodded.

“Turns out there was only one in each loo and the rest was just an optical illusion—a spell.” She said. “Brilliant, really.”

“Yeah, brilliant.” Sirius absently agreed, thinking about the mental image of Pippa in her evening gown and heels levitating ducks in through the windows to Lily. Even better, Pippa levitating ducks in a hospital gown, laughing to herself in the middle of the empty grounds as she envisioned Slughorn’s shocked look when someone told him there were ducks all over his toilets.

“Tonight was really fun.” Tiffany said as they left the party not long after she returned from the duck-free toilets.

“Yeah, it was great. I liked meeting your friends.” He said, only partially lying. They weren’t particularly offensive or anything, but he really couldn’t remember who was who and hoped he didn’t run into one of them without Tiffany right there.

“Right, well this is where I leave you, I think.” She said as they reached the staircase. He needed to go up to Gryffindor tower and she had to go down to Hufflepuff. “You know, unless you want you, you know…” She trailed off. Sirius raised an eyebrow.

“Lead the way.” He said and she smiled, both of them walking to her room.

A round of highly successful shagging later, Tiffany was trying to convince him to stay the night, which was a terrible idea.

“I really need to go—my roommates will start to worry if I never come home.” He said quietly. Everyone in Hufflepuff got their own room. Bloody unfair. Than again, Hogwarts would just be depressing without living with the blokes. No, Sirius decided that he liked living with roommates. There was never a dull moment.

“I always forget you have roommates. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She said and he kissed her quickly before getting dressed and heading back to Gryffindor. Sirius made it to the fourth floor and paused. He looked down the hallway to see the doors to the hospital wing wide open. Pippa. That wasn’t safe—leaving the doors wide open like that with her just lying in bed, sleeping and defenseless, especially with everyone thinking that she was Muggleborn. No, he thought, closed doors wouldn’t make any difference—they’d just be unlocked anyways. He needed to stop thinking about her and go to bed. He had a girlfriend, dammit.

* * *

 

“My mother…she hits me.” Sirius said abruptly. Pippa stopped dead in her tracks. She had been showing him some of the passages that Rowena’s knowledge of the castle provided her with and they were currently somewhere between just outside Ravenclaw tower and the library.

_“What?”_ She asked, looking at him in the dim light from the cracks in the tunnel walls. The side the cracks were on presumably was the wall of the corridor and they were simply walking on the other side of it. Sirius really wished that someone would teach them the spell that lit the end of your wand—it’d make everything a spot easier. He cleared his throat awkwardly as Pippa obviously took a minute to regain her grounding. “I—have you told anyone that can help you?” She asked. He shrugged silently. “Sirius, you need to—Dumbledore would never let you go home if he knew.”

“I know. You can’t tell him.”

“She’s beating you and I’m not supposed to say anything?” She asked incredulously. “You’re my friend and I’m not going to just sit here with my thumb up my ass, knowing that you’re being hurt by people who are supposed to love you!”

“I can’t leave my brother alone with her. I just can’t.” He said. “Reg’s just a kid and he needs someone to protect him.”

“Does your dad know? He must know.” She said and he nodded.

“Yeah, he knows. He doesn’t do anything himself, but he knows what she does. He just turns a blind eye to it.” He admitted. She nodded a little.

“I won’t tell anyone—but I think you should.” She said softly.

“I’m not leaving my brother alone with her, Pippa. I’m just not going to. You _have_ to understand.” He repeated and she shrugged.

“I’m an only child, Sirius—I’ll never fully understand how much people love their siblings because I don’t have any of my own.” She said. “Who have you told about this? I won’t say anything, but I can’t see any of your roommates keeping that quiet for long. Potter’s nosy on a good day.”

“I’ve told you.” He said. She was clearly waiting for the rest of that list and her eyes widened when it didn’t come.

“Oh.” She said, looking down at the ground. “Do you mind if I ask why me?”

“Because you’re my friend and I trust you.” He said quietly. She looked up at him and her eyes softened even more.

“Thank you for trusting me. For what it’s worth, no one has ever trusted me much before.” She said before she reached over and hugged him gently.

It was an extremely awkward hug thanks to that fact that they were both barely twelve and neither of them had gotten used to how long their limbs were these days. It was all arms and legs and eleven shades of uncomfortable, but that was when Sirius knew.

That moment when she first wrapped her arms around him and he felt his heart stop was when he knew he had developed his first ever crush.

“Padfoot!”

…And he was on the floor again.

“James!” He shouted back, annoyed.

“Wake up, twit-face! Game against Ravenclaw today!” James shouted as Sirius hauled himself up off the floor and looked around to see he was the last one up. “You need to be nice and awake so we’re not handing them free points.” He added as he put on his Quidditch gear. Sirius groaned, but heeded the advice, going to take an unpleasantly cold shower in hopes of waking up.

By the time he got out, the other blokes were gone so he quickly put on his Quidditch uniform and headed down towards the Great Hall to possibly eat something before the game.

On his way down, several people wished him luck and said they were rooting for Gryffindor, which was nice. He appeared to be the last one of the team to be down for breakfast and even more people wished him good luck as he walked down the table to his mates. Sirius noticed Pippa was out of the Hospital Wing, apparently having persuaded Madam Pomfrey that she was fine after spending last night after the party last night under the matron’s eye. She was currently eating breakfast with Evans and McKinnon in a Gryffindor shirt looking healthy and happy—not like she had just been discharged from the hospital.

It wouldn’t surprise Sirius if Pomfrey kept her for longer than she needed to in order to make it so miserable that Pippa wouldn’t try again.

Macdonald still wasn’t back, which was deeply disturbing. He hadn’t asked Pippa about her last night either, which he regretted in hindsight.

“Morning.” Tiffany said cheerily, sitting down beside him in a Gryffindor shirt. Sirius idly wondered where she had gotten it.

“Rooting for us, huh?” He asked, eating some toast.

“Well, obviously. I mean if you were playing Hufflepuff, I’d have to stand with my own team, but I’ve no real reason to root for Ravenclaw.” She said with a shrug. “Besides, between us, I like being on the winning side of sports.” She added with a grin, making Sirius laugh.

“Your confidence is inspiring.” He snorted.

“Yeah, don’t let their chasers get the Quaffle through the hoops too much or I’ll never cheer for Gryffindor again.”

“Even against Slytherin?” He asked, playing along.

“Even against—what was that?” She asked suddenly, looking around. Sirius heard it too. The thunderous shouts from down the hall, just outside the entrance. Soon, half of Slytherin came storming in, covered in red and gold glitter sticking to every inch of them. The Great Hall burst into complete hysterics. “Did you do that?” Tiffany asked him.

“No, but I wish I bloody had.” He chuckled, looking around for the guilty party. He glanced over at Pippa, who was laughing along with everyone else, but no more so than the people around her. Evans, who was sitting next to her, raised her glass and Pippa laughed, clinking their glasses—along with McKinnon. Pippa said something that appeared to be “for Mary”, her two friends echoing the sentiment before drinking.

Ah, so _that_ was why.

Mary Macdonald was a ravenous Quidditch fan—that was a universally acknowledged fact within the school—and it appeared that her friends had decided to hold their own version of a celebration of the girl’s love in light of her injury.

Sirius glanced over at McGonagall, who seemed to be too amused to look for the culprit. Suddenly, there were more shouts from the Slytherin table. All the food had turned red and gold as well. Suddenly, the table itself turned red striped with fat lines of gold. Then suddenly small fireworks went off at the table, emitting (predictably) red and gold sparks over the Slytherins’ heads, along with more glitter that coated the ones that had missed the initial blast in where Sirius was assumed the Slytherin common room.

Wow, they hadn’t held back. Sirius was quite grateful that Pippa didn’t have Evans and McKinnon’s help more often because apparently they were quite ambitious when they got together. Add Macdonald into the equation and Sirius would never leave detention again as he and James would predictably be blamed for all of the enormously loud pranks.

“Oh, they could have been hurt by the fireworks! I hope no one got burned.” Tiffany said, looking mildly concerned.

“Eh, those fireworks are safe—they’re no-burn. I’ve used them before. Whoever did it wasn’t looking to hurt anyone.” Sirius said, not worried about whether anyone was hurt. Tiffany raised an eyebrow.

“You’re sure it wasn’t you?”

“I think I’d remember setting all this up. I was with you until late last night, remember?” He asked and she nodded.

“I’ve just learned never to underestimate you and your mates.” She said.

Sirius raised an eyebrow, realizing that he was getting appreciative looks from his housemates. They all thought he had done it. No one had said a word about who was responsible, but they all thought it was Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter. It never occurred to Sirius just _how much_ Pippa’s pranks and practical jokes had fed into his reputation as “the bad boy of Gryffindor” that Remus claimed the school saw him as. They all thought her pranks were his and his mates’.

As good as Sirius was, he wasn’t _this_ good—to get away with setting all this up without being caught in the act. This had to have been a ten stage process at least, ranging from sneaking down to the dungeons to dumping glitter on everyone before going down to the kitchens and coercing the house elves to let them set up the fireworks and put the potions in the food to turn colors. And all without being caught? You’d have to take obscure routes around the castle, getting in and out of common rooms and dorms quickly and unseen.

Sure, someone might look into who had done it if they didn’t immediately blame James and Sirius, but there would be no witnesses—there never were. Not even paintings or ghosts would admit to seeing anything. They knew who Pippa was and they wouldn’t turn their backs on Rowena Ravenclaw’s own blood.

Only Pippa had this kind of knowledge of the castle—and maybe Dumbledore, although Sirius doubted this was him.

Speaking of Dumbledore, his beard had just turned the same glittery red and gold stripes that the Slytherins all were. People gasped, wondering what he would do, everyone falling silent. The laughter picked up again once Dumbledore stroked his beard, clearly impressed with whoever had done it. He stood and everyone fell mostly silent, except for a few giggles here and there every couple seconds.

“Now, whoever has done this has likely broken about twenty school rules to do so and while I cannot condone rule-breaking, I must admit that there is beautiful magic involved in all of this. Now, I will not ask the person—or people—responsible to step forward, but I think I can safely award ten house points to Gryffindor for outstanding magic and incredible planning, as I doubt that any other house had a hand in this.” There were outraged screams from the Slytherins and loud applause from Gryffindor. “Also, I appreciate the makeover and will be wearing it to the match.” He added, gesturing to his beard. “Now, I believe we should all make our way down to the stands for the start of the game.”

Everyone started to stream down to the stands and Tiffany left to go talk to one of her friends before the match. Sirius bumped into Pippa on their way down the grounds.

“You should really take credit for this one, you know.” Sirius said, making her jump. She looked over at him.

“Who? Me? I don’t know what you mean.” She said innocently, her Scottish accent thickening. He rolled his eyes at her.

“Careful, your Scottish is showing, Thatcher.” He observed. She rolled her eyes. When she lied, her Scottish heritage stood out even more than it already did in her voice unless she made a spectacular and active effort to counteract it.

“Ah, still—I’m not admitting to anything.” She said.

“You earned us house points, Pippa.”

“If I claimed it was me, no professor in their right mind would _ever_ trust me again. My reputation is my get-out-of-jail-free card and I’m not going to trade it in anytime soon.” Well, she wasn’t wrong. “Take credit where credit is due, Sirius. You worked hard to pull off that prank.” She added with a wink. “Good luck in the match—don’t let Ravenclaw steamroll us. I’d hate to have to tell Mare that you lost the game.” She called over her shoulder before walking into the stands.

Fair enough.

By the time Sirius actually got into the locker room, James was in full-blown Quidditch mode and was anxiously pacing around. The chaser looked a bit…well, James always looked this way before matches.

“Ready?” He suddenly barked at Sirius so loudly that he jumped.

“Huh? Yeah.” He said, everyone looking over at them. James nodded once.

“Good.” He said and kept pacing. “Don’t let them get too many bloody goals in, you hear?”

“Obviously. I’m not there to just look pretty, Prongs.” Sirius said with an eye roll. James glared at him. “Try all you want, but you don’t scare me mate.” He added and James glared at him again before starting to interrogate the two beaters over whether or not they were full awake. “Why do we do this again?” Sirius asked Fabian Prewett, a Sixth Year who was one of their beaters.

“I ask myself that everyday.” He chuckled. “Hey, are you still with Best?” He asked suddenly. Sirius raised an eyebrow.

“Tiffany? Yeah, we’re still together. Why?” He asked, wondering what was going on.

“Just curious. I saw you talking to Thatcher on our way down here and you generally don’t talk to any girls that aren’t your girlfriends.” He said. “Just seemed unusual.” Sirius shrugged.

“Nah, we were just talking about whoever turned all of Slytherin red and gold. Trying to figure out who it was.” He said, not really lying.

“Come on, Black—we all know it was you.”

“Yeah, it really wasn’t.” Sirius said.

“No, it definitely was.” Fabian said. Sirius shrugged.

“Whatever, mate. Think what you want.” He said.

“You’re really not interested in her?” Fabian clarified.

“In Pippa? I have a girlfriend, mate. Course I’m not interested.” Sirius said.

“Thinking about trying to get on a first-name basis, if you know what I mean.” He grinned. “Think she likes Quidditch players?” Sirius was momentarily taken off-guard by the idea of Pippa actually _dating_ , but shrugged.

“You’d have to ask her.”

“Put in a good word for me?”

“I doubt she’d listen, but I can try.” He agreed.

“Thanks, just don’t be so bloody blunt about it. Being subtle for once wouldn’t kill you, Black.” He told Sirius just as the team captain shouted at everyone to get ready to go out onto the Pitch in three minutes.

When they walked out onto the Pitch, it was incredibly loud—probably due to the fact that the inflamed (and still violently red and gold) Slytherins were cheering for Ravenclaw harder than they normally would. Sirius caught a glimpse of Dumbledore’s beard glittering in he the winter sun. They had had some pretty heavy snowfall a couple days ago so the ground was still covered in it. Not ideal, but that wasn’t very relevant for Sirius as the keeper, as he just hung about the goalposts and didn’t really have to worry about a fast takeoff. He also got to watch a significant portion of the game this way, as the game only became his problem when the Quaffle was in range of his goalposts.

As Ravenclaw struggled to keep the Quaffle from going through their goalposts, Sirius idly wondered if Pippa would get on with Fabian Prewett. Maybe. That line of thought was quickly dismissed as Ravenclaw’s chasers came hauling ass down the Pitch towards him.

 

 


	4. Kisses and Stitches

Sirius flopped onto the couch between Pippa and McKinnon. They were sitting near the fire in the common room the night after the game they had demolished Ravenclaw in. Evans was in a nearby armchair.

“Black.” McKinnon said, shoving him away from her and towards Pippa. “Can we help you?”

“Fabian Prewett wants to ask you out.” Sirius said matter-of-factly.

“Marles, why is it always you?” Evans sighed sadly.

“It’s because Potter’s pissed all over you, Lils. Everyone’s too scared to cross him.” Pippa laughed, making Evans scowl.

“Not McKinnon. I meant you.” He said, looking over at Pippa. She raised an eyebrow. The other two girls immediately looked infinitely more interested. It was common knowledge that Pippa hadn’t ever dated. She was generally regarded by the male population of Hogwarts as beautiful, but slightly intimidating. No one had mustered up the courage to ask her out yet. Sirius supposed it was unsurprising that the first one to possibly get up the gumption was a year older than her.

“Really?” Pippa asked. He nodded.

“Mhm. He saw us talking before the game today and decided he’d ask me to ‘subtly’ put in a good word for him.” He said.

“ _This_ is ‘subtle’?” Evans asked with a snort. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Nah, I’m too lazy to try to think up a clever way to bring him up in conversation.” He said. “Anyways, I think he said ‘I’d like to get on a first-name basis, if you know what I mean’.” Pippa’s cheeks obviously turned pink.

“I don’t even know him.” She said.

“I’ve talked to him.” McKinnon said. “Funny bloke. Cute. In a very ginger way.” Lily scowled. “Come on, you know I’m right—he’s much more orange than you are, Lily.” She added.

“Maybe.” Evans scowled, touching her own dark red hair. “Still, I don’t appreciate discrimination on the grounds of red hair.”

“I’m just saying.” McKinnon defended. “Black, you know him.”

“Mhm.”

“Decent bloke?”

“Yeah, he’s…he likes to cause trouble, but he’s a good guy from what I’ve seen.” He said, thinking over what he knew about Fabian.

“Still, I’ve never even spoken to him.” Pippa said, looking very surprised and unsure of this turn of events. “I don’t know if I want to date someone that decided he fancied the way I looked and decided to ask me out before I got to know him at all.” She said. Sirius had to admit that she had a point, but that was how most relationships started in this castle.

“That’s how most people around here start dating. That’s how I started dating Tiffany.” Sirius said.

“Who?” Evans asked.

“Airhead.” McKinnon supplied. Sirius raised an eyebrow.

“Oh. Is that how you ended up at the Slug Club party?” Evans asked.

“Okay, she’s not an airhead.” Sirius said reflexively. “She’s just…shy about what she knows. She also has low self-esteem for _some_ reason. Can’t imagine why.” He added pointedly.

“It’s not like we call her that to her face.” McKinnon said. “Unknot your wand, Black.” He rolled his eyes and looked over at Pippa, who had been very silent.

“What?” She asked him. He raised an eyebrow. “Am I supposed to say something? I’m not going to. She’s not the sharpest tool in the shed and we all know it. There’s nothing wrong with it—it’s just a fact. There have to be average people in the world for there to be smart ones.”

Sirius was reminded that she was blood of Rowena Ravenclaw, who prized intelligence and wit and cleverness over everything else. That was part of the reason Sirius and Pippa had given up on their friendship. She had been constantly annoyed with his lack of attention to his studies. She had turned into a fantastic student, dedicated to her studies, and he had continued to slack off with slightly better than average grades. They just no longer meshed well.

Sirius remembered the last conversation before Pippa had found him Second Year and told him to call her a Muggleborn from now on. It had been during their First Year exams and he had tried to get her to take a break from studying to play a prank. She had called him lazy and entitled so he had called her neurotic and uptight in return. They had both taken great offense and hadn’t ever really spoken again until she and Evans had supervised their detention last week.

“I don’t think you’d like Fabian—he’s _lazy and entitled_.” He said. Her eyes widened. She obviously remembered the conversation as well.

“Sirius, I—”

“Enjoy your night, ladies.” He said, interrupting Pippa and leaving. He heard the girls talking as he walked away.

“What was that?” That was Evans.

“None of your bloody business.” Pippa snapped. He didn’t hear any more of the conversation as he headed upstairs to go to bed early. Quidditch games always took it out of him.

* * *

“Have you ever been kissed?” Pippa asked Sirius as they hung out one Saturday, wandering the castle. That had really become something that Sirius only did with Pippa over their first year here. They walked the castle, the back passages that no one else knew about. He raised an eyebrow, feeling that jolting feeling in his stomach that he had come to associate exclusively with Pippa. It was extra intense this time because of the topic she had chosen.

“Um, why do you ask?”

“Lily, Marlene, and Mary all have been and I didn’t know if it was just them that _have_ …or just me that _hasn’t_.” She said idly, not seeming embarrassed about this at all. He shrugged.

“I think it’s just them. I’ve never kissed anyone, but then again I also grew up surrounded by pretty much only my extended family. Kissing opportunities weren’t numerous.” He said and she nodded.

“Fair enough.” She said, idly brushing a tapestry to the side to reveal a door that she knocked on rhythmically. It swung open and they walked in, lighting their wands. Exams were rapidly approaching and Sirius had convinced her to take a break for a couple hours from revising in the library to go for a walk. They walked in a comfortable silence down the passage for a couple minutes until Pippa abruptly came to a stop. “Kiss me.” Sirius choked on nothing.

_“Excuse me?”_

“What? We’re both going to have to get it out of the way eventually. It’s really just practical.” She said with a shrug, obviously meaning it. Wow, way to take the romance out of literally everything. The Ravenclaw blood made her so pragmatic about everything. Even the things that aren’t meant for logic. _Especially_ the things not meant for logic. “Or don’t. Whatever.” She added and continued to walk.

“Are you being serious?” He asked. She paused and walked back to where he hadn’t moved.

“Yeah.” She said. “Unless you’re interested in someone—then never mind, obviously.” She added.

“Um, no. I’m not interested in anyone.” He said, lying but also figuring that it didn’t matter, as he wasn’t interested in anyone except for Pippa herself. “Okay.” He said impulsively. She blinked in surprise.

“Are you sure? You have a weird look on your face.” She clarified. Sirius figured that was because the girl he fancied had just asked him to kiss her. For logistical purposes, but whatever. He was still bloody nervous.

“Yeah. It’s probably just this horribly unflattering lighting.” He said, nodding down to their wands, which were the only source of light in the tunnel. She smiled a little. “You’re sure?” She nodded.

“I wouldn’t have brought it up if I wasn’t. _I_ think things all the way through.” She said pointedly. He shrugged.

“Sorry some of us don’t always follow our heads.” He said. “So, um how should we go about this?” She shrugged.

“Don’t know. Never been here before either, remember?”

“Right. Uhm, let’s just go for it, I suppose.” He said and she nodded in agreement.

And that was both of their first kisses. It was awkward, neither of them having a bloody clue what they were doing, and not particularly enjoyable probably thanks to the way they were afraid to touch each other.

He broke off the kiss to see that Pippa was now sixteen, just as he was now, and her bronze hair had been removed from the short pigtail braids she had constantly worn as a little girl. It was thick and long and beautiful, falling around her face and partially covering her intensely blue eyes. Sirius pushed the hair off her face before he had even considered whether it was okay to touch her or not.

She smiled a little and stepped closer, no longer afraid of a man’s touch. Pippa fit much better in his arms due to the fact he was now taller than her instead of the same height and feeling her small waist under his hands felt fantastic.

“Kiss me.” She whispered, sounding more emotion-driven than she had before. “Like you mean it.” She reached up to kiss him, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding onto him gently but still assertively. She sighed into his mouth and ran her fingers through his hair, dragging her nails along his scalp.

Before Sirius realized how they had gotten there, he had her backed up against the wall of the tunnel and they were both completely naked, still attached at the mouth, this time completely intertwined, his tongue in her mouth, arms around each other, hands roaming bare skin. She tasted bitter, like red wine maybe, but still delicious. Sirius picked her up and wrapped her legs around his waist and went to push into her when he felt a searing pain across his face.

“What the fuck?” He snapped, looking around his dorm room to see James, Remus, and Peter standing there—all of them looked extremely amused. “Did you _slap_ me?” He asked James, who was the only one within arm’s length.

“Sorry, mate. You were moaning loud enough to wake us all up.” He said.

“Nightmare?” Peter asked. James started laughing. Sirius looked at him oddly, wondering what had happened. Then the dream came rushing back to him. Pippa. Naked, vulnerable, and whimpering Pippa saying his name as he touched every part of her he could get his hands on in that tunnel where they had shared their first kiss almost four years ago. Bloody James interrupted the best part too.

“That was no nightmare.” James said with a grin.

“Who was the lucky girl?” Remus asked, smirking. Sirius flipped them off.

“Don’t remember.” He lied. James snorted.

“Uh-huh.” He said. Sirius raised an eyebrow. “Okay everyone, let’s get some sleep. We have class tomorrow. Sirius if you jerk it tonight after this, please go to the bathroom and use a silencing charm.” James added and Sirius flipped him off again. They all went back to bed and about twenty minutes later, a note fluttered through the curtains. Sirius lit his wand and read it. James.

_You were moaning a certain name before we woke you. No one else heard this time because I was up first, but I wouldn’t suggest sleeping in Tiffany’s bed. It’d be bad for the relationship if she heard, I reckon._

Sirius rolled his eyes and vanished the paper before turning the light off and going back to sleep.

He hadn’t thought about his first kiss in a long time. Needless to say, the real thing didn’t have nearly as happy of an ending as the dream had. They had kissed for all of three seconds and stared at each other blankly before Pippa cleared her throat awkwardly and they had kept walking, talking about something completely unrelated. Neither of them had ever mentioned it again and—to the best of Sirius’ knowledge—neither of them ever told a soul that it had happened at all.

“Hey, did you hear?” James asked Sirius before Quidditch practice almost a week later. They were set to go home for Christmas in only two weeks.

“What?”

“Prewett asked Thatcher out.” James said quietly.

“Yeah? How’d that go? Do you hear wedding bells?” Sirius snorted as they walked across the grounds towards the Pitch.

“Hardly. He asked her if she fancied going to Hogsmeade with him and she said that she was interested in someone else and didn’t know him at all anyways.” James muttered, obviously watching for the object of their conversation. Fabian was nowhere to be seen, fortunately. Sirius raised an eyebrow.

“Did she say who? She didn’t seem to be interested in anyone when I brought Fabian up to her. She just seemed surprised. They all did, actually.” James shrugged.

“Doubt she said who it was—only an idiot would do that and say what you want about Thatcher, but she isn’t an idiot.” _You have no idea,_ Sirius thought.

“Huh, well I did my duty so no one can say that it was my fault.” He said with a shrug, dropping the conversation as they reached the Pitch. “Um, Evans?” Sirius asked, wondering what the redhead was doing here.

“Black. Where’s your captain?”

“Why?”

“Because Mary just came back and Pomfrey wants her getting lots of fresh air. I want to know if we can bring her down to watch practice—she’s supposed to stay pretty stationary as well and is really sad she missed the game. You know how she is about Quidditch.” She said. Sirius nodded over her shoulder. Max was their captain—he was a Seventh Year with debatably the most easy-going personality to ever grace the planet.

“That’s fine, Evans. Macdonald’s back?” Max said.

“Yeah, just got here this morning—sitting out by the lake with Pippa and Marlene right now.”

“Fine by me as long as Thatcher isn’t going to distract my players.” He said. Sirius coughed loudly, as Fabian happened to show up right at that exact moment.

“It’s not her fault if your players can’t control themselves.” Lily said, daring him to contradict that.

“Fair enough. You girls are more than welcome to sit in the stands—just don’t be loud.”

“Thanks, Max.” She said and walked off, presumably towards the lake to get her friends.

By the time the team was actually out on the Pitch, Pippa was helping Mary Macdonald up the stairs and into the stands, Evans and McKinnon walking behind them in case she fell. It looked like Macdonald had a cane. Poor girl.

“I’m fine, Pip.” Macdonald was saying. “You’re fussing again.” Pippa seemed to ignore that, helping Mary sit down in the stands and making sure she was comfortable.

Practice started and Sirius saw Fabian glare at Pippa, where she was now chatting with McKinnon quietly. Bitter wasn’t a good look on anyone.

The girls were—true to Evans’ word—quiet and subdued, content to sit with each other and quietly talk, giving their injured friend time to enjoy the outdoors.

Then everything went to hell when shouting started on the other end of the Pitch, where Max was screaming at Fabian. Sirius flew over from where he had been practicing with James.

“What’s going on?” He asked the second beater, a girl named Angela.

“He hit a bludger right towards the girls.” She whispered. Sirius looked over to see the four of them looking extremely shaken and a giant hole in the stands right next to where Pippa’s head was. She had ducked out of the way just in time.

“YOU COULD HAVE KILLED ONE OF THEM, YOU IDIOT! MACDONALD JUST GOT _OUT_ OF THE HOSPITAL AND YOU ALMOST PUT HER BACK THERE! I DON’T CARE IF THATCHER TURNED YOU DOWN—YOU DON’T GET TO TRY AND KILL HER AS REPAYMENT! NOT ON MY PITCH! YOU’RE LUCKY I DON’T GROUND YOU FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON!”

“It was an accident, Max—chill out.” Fabian said.

“Not to interrupt, but I think we should head to the ground.” James said, nodding down to where Lily Evans was stalking onto the field. They all floated down and Sirius braced himself for the enormous loss of points.

“You’re not grounding him?” She asked Max indignantly.

“It’s not my job to police morals, Evans. Besides, he didn’t _actually_ hit her so I can’t really do anything anyways.” He said with a shrug.

“Well, that’s awfully nice of you.” Lily said sweetly. “Unfortunately for you, Prewett, I’m not as nice.” They all gasped as she turned her attention to Fabian. Oh, she wasn’t. “Sixty points from Gryffindor for purposefully endangering the lives of four other students, one of which has recently returned from the hospital.” They all exchanged looks. “Also, you’re done with Quidditch for the year.”

“You can’t suspend players’ rights to play, Evans.” Fabian snapped.

“No, but I can give you detention every Saturday for the rest of the year at precisely ten in the morning—which is _exactly_ what I’m doing.” She said sharply.

“You can’t bloody do that!” Fabian protested.

_“Yes, I bloody can_ and I’ll take another ten for mouthing off to a Prefect.” She snapped, daring him to say anything else. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take Pippa to the hospital wing to get her arm looked at.”

“Her arm?” Sirius asked suddenly. “I thought Max said no one was hurt.”

“The bludger didn’t hit anyone, but she has a few quite large pieces of wood sticking out of her arm from the stands.” She sniffed. “Now that I think about it, fifty points off for _actually_ harming a student.” They all exchanged looks. She had just removed 120 points from her own house.

“Lily!” That was McKinnon. The girls had made it down from the stands and were nearby. Pippa was cradling her arm and there were visible shards of wood in her right bicep. Ouch. “We need to go—Pip’s starting to bleed pretty bad. She needs to see Pomfrey like five minutes ago.” Lily nodded once and glared.

“I’ll inform the headmaster of this myself. You’re done practicing for the day, Max. I’m sure Professor McGonagall will want to know where 120 of her house points have gone. I’ll let you tell her.” Lily said and walked off, Evans inspecting Pippa’s arm and McKinnon helping Mary along. They all looked over at Fabian.

“Learn to take rejection a little better.” James said. He scowled. “You just fucked us out of the House _and_ Quidditch Cups.”

“No, Evans just did.”

“She was protecting her friends.” James snapped back, scowling at the fact the other boy dared to insult Lily in front of him. “As she should. You should be bloody ashamed.” He said and walked off, heading towards the castle.

“You said she’d say yes.” Fabian said to Sirius. Everyone looked at him.

“Oh, no. This isn’t my fault. I said I’d try to put a good word in for you—which I did. It’s not my problem that she didn’t listen; thank God she didn’t, actually.” He added and walked off, following James. He lost sight of his mate when he got into the castle, but took an intuitive guess as to where he’d go. Probably the common room. Sirius hesitated on the Fourth Floor, catching sight of the hospital wing. Shit. He owed someone an apology. He walked towards the hospital wing and looked in to see Pippa sitting on a bed, pointedly looking at a wall as Madam Pomfrey removed splinters of wood from her arm. Evans, McKinnon, and Macdonald all looked up.

“Black, now isn’t the time.” Evans said.

“Shit, Evans, I’ll leave then—don’t get your wand in a knot.” He said.

“It’s fine, Lily.” Pippa said softly. “Come on in, Sirius. You’re a nice break from their overly concerned faces.” He walked in and inspected her arm.

“That’s awful.” He said and she nodded, looking at him instead of the blood coming out of her arm.

“Yeah, he’s a real prince.” She said dryly. “Would you mind walking me back to the common room when I’m done here? Marles should probably go with Mare back to the common room and Lily needs to inform Dumbledore as to why there are 120 points missing from Gryffindor’s hourglass.” She asked.

“Sure.” He said and glanced over at the other girls.

“If you let any harm come to her, I’ll cut your balls off.” Evans said.

“I’ll take any stray killing curses, I promise.” He said dryly.

“Oi, no talk about killing curses. No one’s dying.” Pippa said sternly. “Go on, girls. I’ll be fine.” She added. They all hesitated. “Go on. We don’t all need to live through this.” The three girls left, Evans and McKinnon watching Mary and her cane closely as they walked.

“Black, pull up and chair and sit to her left so she doesn’t have to look at her arm.” Pomfrey said. Sirius did so and Pippa smiled at him faintly.

“I’m sorry I said he was a decent bloke. I was apparently very wrong.” He said suddenly. She smiled a bit, wincing as she did it.

“It’s fine. Men become different people altogether when they’re turned down.” She said softly. “This isn’t your fault.”

“Can you feel that?” He nodded towards her arm. She nodded a bit. “That’s…unpleasant.”

“A bit, yeah.” She admitted.

“Miss Thatcher, one of them is so deeply under the skin that I’m going to need to make a small incision to remove it.” Pomfrey said suddenly. Pippa’s eyes widened in obvious fear.

“What? There isn’t anything else you can do?” She asked, her voice going up in pitch.

“I’m afraid not. Now, I can numb you up if you’d like, but I’ll have to keep you overnight if I administer anesthetic. It’s school policy.” She said. Pippa hesitated.

“No, I want to go sleep in my own bed.” She said after a minute. “Just do it.”

“Black come sit in front of her and take both of her hands. I don’t want her jerking away when I’m trying to get it out.” She said and Sirius nodded, moving his chair so he was sitting directly in front of Pippa. She wrapped both of her hands around one of his and he put his other one on top of hers to keep them in place. She looked terrified. “Look at him, Miss Thatcher. You don’t want to see. And try to relax your arm.” Pippa stared directly at him.

“Have I ever told you about how much my mother hates my name?” He asked her suddenly. She looked at him oddly.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Well, when Reg and I became old enough to understand what puns and irony were, we’d always make the serious-Sirius joke.” She smiled a bit. “She’d always tell us, ‘I’m being serious, boys’ and Reg would always shout ‘he’s Sirius!’ and run away before she could start shouting at him.” Pippa laughed a little. Madam Pomfrey started to open up her arm to get out the wood. Her eyes widened and filled with tears. Sirius chose to ignore that and the way her hands clenched painfully around his. “Eventually, it got so bad—I reckon I was about ten—when she was complaining about me to my dad—Reg and I were listening in—she said something to the effect of ‘I’m serious’ and Dad just deadpan told her ‘no, he’s upstairs—you’re Walburga’.” Pippa actually started laughing. “Of course Reg and I started laughing so hard we got caught eavesdropping, but Mom was at such a loss for words she couldn’t even come up with a punishment for it.” Madam Pomfrey victoriously came out with the giant splinter.

“There you go, Miss Thatcher.” She said. “I’m going to have to leave these all open in case there are any pieces I can’t see. They’ll be able to work their way out on their own this way. I’m going to put Muggle stitches in them and you’re going to need to wear a sling.” Pippa looked horrified, letting go of Sirius’ hands.

“What? I can’t wear a sling—I need my right arm. _I’m right-handed_.” She said. “How will I take notes? Perform classwork? Practice spells? Brew potions? I need my hands! _Both of them_!” Typical. She wasn’t worried about being literally sewn together. She was worried about how she was going to stay at the top of the class.

“There is no alternative, Miss Thatcher. I will inform all of your professors of the circumstances around your injury—they will make accommodations accordingly and you will not be penalized.” Madam Pomfrey said. Pippa still looked pissed.

“How long?” She muttered.

“Two weeks, at least.”

“WHAT?”

“Are you going home for Christmas?” Madam Pomfrey asked.

“No, I’m staying here.” Sirius was surprised. She wasn’t going to see her family? Why not? Sure she didn’t have siblings or a father, but she still had her mom and probably a couple grandparents.

“Come see me the day after everyone has left and we’ll reassess.” She said. Pippa nodded begrudgingly. “Now, these are going to need to be cleaned twice a day with warm salt water—preferably three times, but that’s not very feasible. I will inform the house elves to leave some for you in the morning and evening along with a syringe to clean it with. Now for the stitches. Only the incision I created and one other needs them, but they can smart quite a bit.” Pippa groaned. “I can sedate you.”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll live.” She sighed.

Pippa lived through it, but that didn’t stop her from moaning about how much this sucked the entire time. Once Madam Pomfrey was done, she conjured up a sling and tucked Pippa’s right arm into it with strict instructions not to remove it from the sling unless it was to shower.

“Yes, that means you have to sleep with it. Ask Mr. Black all about it. He’s hurt his shoulders a fair few times during Quidditch.” Pippa looked over at Sirius.

“Wearing it as much as possible helps the healing process.” He admitted. Pippa groaned, but nodded. “It’s not as bad as it sounds. Eating with a fork and knife is a bitch though, so I’d think about sticking to sandwiches and soup.” She made a face, but nodded.

“Black, I fully expect you to convey all of these instructions to her roommates because something tells me that she won’t.” Madam Pomfrey said, looking over at Pippa, who was currently performing the sulking act of the century.

“I’ll tell them. They won’t let her get away with anything.” Sirius agreed.

“Traitor.” Pippa muttered. He rolled his eyes. “Can I leave now?” She asked the matron. Madam Pomfrey took her vitals once more to make sure she wasn’t going into shock and when she determined that she wasn’t, allowed Pippa to leave.

“I can’t believe he actually hit a bludger at you.” Sirius said as they walked back towards Gryffindor tower. She snorted.

“I can. You didn’t see his face when I turned him down.” She said. “I meant it: men become different people when they’re feeling rejected.” He raised an eyebrow.

“Have much experience in turning men down then?” He asked. Pippa smiled.

“No, not me. Mom…she always had a hard time keeping blokes away.” She said softly. He raised an eyebrow.

“She _had_ a hard time?” He asked. She nodded.

“She’s married now. To a bloke named Michael. They have a son named Jake. He’s four.” She said quietly.

“Nice guy?” She shrugged.

“He was nice enough to me until he married Mom and she was forced to tell him that I’m a witch. He doesn’t like having me around now that he knows I’m a _freak_. Thinks I’ll turn my bratty half-brother.”

Sirius recalled that Pippa was actually a half-blood despite her old family name. Her mother was a Muggle—and apparently so was her new husband.

“I wondered why you weren’t going home for Christmas.” He admitted.

“I haven’t gone home for Christmas since First Year. That’s when they told me they were expecting Jake and ever since, it’s been very clear that I’m no longer welcome unless I have to be there.” She said softly. “They didn’t even let me go home when he was born. Like it matters. All he does is throw things and call me names—just like his father.” Sirius raised an eyebrow.

“Pippa, does your stepfather—?”

“Hit me? No. He’s too afraid of me for that. Thinks I can turn him into dust or something. He gets really mad with me when I do my schoolwork over summer though. He makes me do it outside in the backyard where no one can see me.”

“Why not just do it inside then? No way that the neighbors will see you if you’re inside.”

“Thinks that it’ll pollute the house. I tried doing my work on the kitchen table once in Second Year. He grabbed all my things and tossed them outside onto the ground. Told me that was the only place I was allowed to do my work. In the dirt.” She said hollowly. “So, no—I don’t go home for Christmas.”

“Understandable. You just put up with it during the summers, huh?”

“I don’t know if I’m even going to go home this summer, to be honest with you. I’ve been thinking about trying to get a job somewhere in the Alley or in Hogsmeade—earn my keep somewhere.” She said, looking quite sad at the idea. Sirius didn’t blame her. She was only sixteen—and newly sixteen at that. She shouldn’t feel like she needs to move out of her own house. “I know what you’re thinking: that I shouldn’t leave my childhood home.” He raised an eyebrow. That was exactly what he was thinking. “Michael made Mom leave the house I grew up in when they moved in together. I had just turned eleven.” She added softly. “That place isn’t my home. I don’t have one of those anymore.” She whispered. A single tear ran down her cheek. She went to wipe it away, but was stopped by the sling, making her groan. She used her left hand clumsily instead as they reached Gryffindor tower. “Sorry.”

“Pippa—”

“Thanks for walking me back, Sirius.” She said with a small smile, going to walk away.

“Pippa.” She looked back at him. “You’ll have a real home one day. You just have to find it—or make it for yourself.” She smiled a little and walked away, injured arm and all.

That night, Dumbledore stood at dinner and made a short speech about how violence within the walls of Hogwarts would not be tolerated and that every punishment handed out within today’s events was fair and approved by both Professor Dumbledore and by Professor McGonagall.

Lily Evans was in disgrace with her own house until everyone got a look at Pippa’s arm.

Pippa was well liked by about everyone and was known for helping First Years find their way to classes and for being a fair and judicious Prefect. Gryffindor came to a consensus that she didn’t deserve to have a bludger smacked at her head and wood lodged in her arm for taking her injured friend out to watch Quidditch practice and that was that.

Fabian Prewett was also in exile, but unlike Evans his status didn’t change after a couple hours. Someone had “accidentally” told everyone who had hurt Pippa and everyone was less than impressed. People in Gryffindor were saying that he deserved to be grounded, Cup be damned, and that Lily had done the right thing.

Sirius—for his part—earned himself a week of detention for hexing Mulciber violently after catching him telling his mates all the things he’d like to do to the “Mudblood with the broken arm” now that she couldn’t do much to defend herself. He had told McGonagall what had happened and Sirius suspected that she would have let him off if she hadn’t been forced to send Mulciber to St. Mungo’s because Pomfrey couldn’t figure out how to get him to stop vomiting up slugs or how to get his hands to grow back to anything larger than the size of a newborn’s.

He showed up at McGonagall’s office at six like he had been told to, only to see Pippa sitting there, McGonagall behind her desk, Pippa’s back to him. She turned around and smiled. She was still in uniform.

“Um, hello.” He said. “Should I come back?” He asked.

“That’s unneeded, Black.” McGonagall said. “Miss Thatcher was just getting ready to go on rounds for the night.” Every warning bell in Sirius’ head went off. Sending her alone on rounds? With her wand hand practically useless? That was a terrible idea. “You’re going with her.” Sirius raised an eyebrow.

“I am?” He asked, quite certain he had heard wrong.

“Miss Thatcher is a Prefect and therefore disciplines students—it would not be impossible for one of the more…aggravated students to take advantage of her injury to escape punishment.” McGonagall said. “You’re a good duelist and I’m sure that you’re more than capable of protecting one of your classmates when she isn’t in the best state to do so herself.” Sirius opened his mouth to protest then closed it at McGonagall’s knowing look behind Pippa’s back. He nodded.

“Better than writing lines.” He said and McGonagall nodded approvingly.

“Good. Because she only goes on rounds every other night, your detention will last until the end of term. That’s all.” She said and Pippa stood up, clumsily opening the door with her left hand, looking quite annoyed with her life at the moment. Sirius didn’t blame her—having to wear a sling was one of the most obnoxious things in the world.

“So, where are we going?” He asked her as they left McGonagall’s office.

“I have third floor tonight, so that’s where we’ll be.” She said as they quietly walked upstairs. “I know it’s kind of boring—not much I can do about it though. At least I have company tonight. It’s usually just me.” She sighed as they reached the third floor. “What’d you do to get detention? You can’t blame me—I haven’t done shit to warrant detention since my arm.” Sirius hesitated.

“Hexed Mulciber.” He said, settling for the truth. She raised an eyebrow.

“That was you? Heard Pomfrey couldn’t figure out how to get his hands to return to their normal size—heard that he had baby hands now.” She said. He nodded. “How’d you do it?”

“Spell I stumbled across once. It was just the first thing I thought of in the moment.” He said.

“Why’d you do it? He’s not Snape—he’s not one of your usual…targets, for lack of a better word.” She asked absently as she paused outside a broom cupboard, obviously listening. She smirked a bit at him and opened the door abruptly. Two people fell out, half-clothed. “Ah, Prewett—and Skeeter. Really? This is the best you can do in terms of shag-spots?” She said idly. This was Gideon Prewett, not Fabian.

“We both have roommates, if you must know.” Gideon said, standing up.

“Put your clothes back on.” Pippa sighed. “And I swear to Merlin if you make some comment that isn’t ‘I won’t shag Rita Skeeter in a broom cupboard again’, I’m going to jinx you and blame it on him.” She jabbed a finger towards Sirius.

“Black?” Gideon asked. “What’re you doing here?”

“Detention. McGonagall doesn’t want her walking around at night alone without her wand arm.” He said. Gideon nodded in understanding.

“About that—sorry about Fabian, Thatcher. He had no right.” Gideon said.

“Ten points from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw each—another five off Gryffindor for _refusing to put your clothes back on_. I’m letting you off with no detention because I’m feeling charitable and because I’m trying _really_ hard not to take your brother’s actions out on you because you look just like him, Gideon.” Pippa said and threw Gideon’s shirt at him. “Towers. _Now_.” She added and they both slinked off quietly. “And that’s as exciting as this gets.” Pippa added to Sirius idly. “Come on, if we’re lucky we might even get a couple that’s _actually_ in the act later.” Sirius snorted and continued to walk alongside her up and down the third floor.

Rounds with Pippa ended at just before midnight and she quickly said goodnight to him in the common room before heading upstairs to her room.


	5. As Long as You Need

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *TRIGGER WARNING*  
> Sexual assault takes a pretty prominent role in this story a couple times and this chapter is one of them. The bulk of it is between the first and second line breaks (the second chunk of the chapter) if you'd like to skip it.
> 
> Also, I am not a sexual assault survivor myself, so I did the best I could with what I know from friends' experiences and with my psychology degree.
> 
> Love, Essie

It was two days before Pippa had rounds again and Sirius found it actually quite an enjoyable experience. It reminded him of when they used to sneak out and wander the castle as First Years at night—when they had been best friends. Back then, he had been closer to her than even to James.

“How’s the arm doing?” He asked. She looked over at it.

“It itches.”

“That’ll be the healing process—that’s good. Means your body’s doing its job.” Sirius said, peeking into the sling to see the wounds were closing with the stitches’ assistance. That was probably what itched. “Think it’s going to scar?”

“I don’t know—I’ve never been hurt before to that point that I might scar.” She said with a shrug. “What do you think?” She asked, looking at her arm as well.

“It’s possible—can’t be sure if you don’t know how easily you scar though.” He said and she nodded a bit as they walked. “I’ve been meaning to ask, but how’s Macdonald getting on? She’s been back for about a week now, yeah?”

“Yeah, about a week.” Pippa said. “She’s okay—the healers are pretty sure she won’t need her cane in a couple days. She’s going to be taking it easy for a while though—it’s really good timing, as terrible as that sounds. This way she can go home and have her family take care of her over the holiday without really having to worry about getting around much.” She said. “It’s been a hard road for her—obviously. She needs so much help and I’m unfortunately taking up some of Lily and Marlene’s attention because of this.” She sighed, gesturing to her arm. “I still can’t believe that it actually happened.”

“Don’t beat yourself up about it—you didn’t ask for Fabian Prewett to hit a bludger at you.” Sirius said as Pippa paused by a broom cupboard, listening. This would mark the third couple tonight—apparently Thursdays were sexier than Tuesdays, which was his first night on rounds with Pippa and they had only caught the one couple. She sighed and ripped the door open. The people didn’t fall out, but Pippa froze in the doorway, blocking his view.

“Sirius, go take a walk.” Pippa said. _“Now.”_ He raised an eyebrow and didn’t move. “I’m not joking—you don’t want to be here.”

“What are you talking about?” He asked, moving her out of the way gently, making sure to move her from her good side. He felt his mouth drop open as Tiffany disentangled from a naked man. Well, if fourteen could be considered a man. “Holy fuck.” He said before he really thought about it.

“Sirius, take a walk _now.”_ Pippa said and shoved him away from his naked girlfriend and brother. He back up a few steps, but most certainly didn’t take a walk. “Black, Best, put your damn clothes on.” She snapped. No one moved. Sirius noticed she didn’t flinch away from staring them both down, nude or not. “Every second you just stand there, I’m taking five points from each of your houses.” She added. “Five…ten…fifteen…twenty…twenty-five…thirty…” There was a sudden flurry of movement and they were shoving clothes on. “Thank you.” Pippa said calmly. “I’m not going to lecture you on morals—that’s clearly a lost cause—but you’re both going to serve a week of detention for being out after hours. And another week for partaking in sexual activities within the castle.” Sirius raised an eyebrow. “And you can have another three days for indecent morality.” You could get detention for that? That was an actual rule? It was never cited if it was. Apparently Pippa wasn’t taking kindly to this. Sirius didn’t really blame her. He hadn’t been in a real hurry to see Regulus completely naked either, yet here they all were.

_“Two and a half weeks?”_ Regulus asked. “I know you just docked Prewett and Skeeter house points and that’s it.”

“Yeah well _I don’t like you_.” This was the first time Sirius had seen Pippa be anything but impartial on rounds. “Also, sleeping with your brother’s girlfriend? Really?” He shrugged. “Your boyfriend’s _brother_ , Tiffany? Why? He’s not even the cute one. Jesus, at least have some bloody dignity—both of you.”

Sirius raised an eyebrow, taken aback by the comment. It was a randomly flattering compliment and seemed highly out of place for the situation.

“Oh, fuck you, Thatcher.” Regulus snapped. Pippa seemed unaffected.

“Your detentions will be served with Professor McGonagall after holiday—also, letters will be going home to both of your parents detailing your punishments and what exactly led to them.” Sirius raised an eyebrow. Pippa was staring Regulus down as she said it. She knew _exactly_ what she was doing to him. Caught shagging a half-blood in a closet? Regulus was dead meat. “I’ll inform your heads of houses myself and they’ll be sent in the morning. Return to your common rooms. If I catch you out of bed again tonight, that’ll be grounds for suspension, so scoot. I don’t want to have to deal with the paperwork.” They both gave her nasty looks. “And by the way, another five from Slytherin for mouthing off to a Prefect, Black. Have a nice holiday.” She shouted after them. No one answered her.

“Wow, I’m so incredibly insulted right now.” Sirius said. Pippa looked over at him, sighing.

“I’m sorry. I told you to leave.” She said, looking quite sad. He shrugged.

“Not your fault—besides, you did more than I could’ve. The most I could’ve done was give Regulus a black eye and break up with Tiffany. Points, detention, _and_ sending letters home? Our parents will kill him for shagging a half-blood.” Sirius said. Pippa shrugged with her good arm.

“That’s not my problem.” She said. “Besides, I’ve been waiting to take my frustration about my arm out on some poor deserving soul and they were in the right place and the right time, doing the wrong thing.” She said.

“You definitely called me cute somewhere in there.” He said and she raised an eyebrow. “It was in that lecture somewhere.” She rolled her eyes.

“You’ve been single for all of three minutes. I’m not answering that.” She said and otherwise didn’t acknowledge it.

“Didn’t know that sexual activities and indecent morals were against school rules.” He mentioned. She smirked.

“I doubt anyone else in this castle knows, to be honest. No one ever cites it and just docks points because they don’t want to see their students or classmates naked.” She said. “Rowena popped that into my head just now. You’re welcome.” She added and Sirius rolled his eyes.

“That was a pretty steep punishment—he was right: you haven’t gone that hard on anyone else.” He observed. She shrugged.

“Do you know how badly I _never_ wanted to see one of your girlfriends naked—or your brother for that matter?” She asked.

“Fair enough.” He said, having to give her that.

“Besides, if there was ever a time to cite ‘indecent morals’ catching your friend’s brother sleeping with said friend’s girlfriend would be it.” She said thoughtfully. “I’m sure there’ll be backlash from some of Slytherin, but whatever. Come on, we’re done for tonight—I need to go talk to McGonagall about Regulus and Tiffany’s detentions, but you can go ahead and head back to the tower. I’ll let her know that you were with me until just now.” Sirius hesitated. “Really, Sirius. I’ll be fine. No one’s going to jump out at me.” She added with a smile. “Go on.” Going against his better judgment, Sirius nodded.

“Alright. Have a good night.” He said and she smiled.

“You too.” And with that, she walked away, heading for McGonagall’s office.

“Wow, what the hell happened to you?” James asked, as Sirius walked into the room, with what he was sure was a lovely look on his face. “I thought you and Thatcher were mates these days.”

“She didn’t do anything except what she was supposed to.” He said. “Found Regulus naked in a broom closet.” Everyone in the room looked up. “Shagging Tiffany.” There was a dead silence.

_“Fuck.”_ James said. “I’m assuming you broke things off with her and hit your brother?” He asked.

“Nope. I didn’t do anything—didn’t have the chance. Pippa went after them before I had even figured out what was really happening.” He said.

“What’d she do? She’s normally very fair in her punishments.” Remus asked. Sirius supposed they had worked together at least distantly as Prefects.

“Thirty points from each of them for not putting on clothes immediately; two-and-a-half weeks of detention for being out after hours, ‘partaking in sexual activities within the castle’, and ‘indecent morality’; letters home from their heads of house detailing what had happened; and another five points from Regulus for mouthing off to her.” Sirius said, thinking back through the punishments Pippa had listed off at his brother.

“Holy shit, that’s intense.” James said. “Didn’t know Thatcher had the balls for that.” He sounded appreciative of her actions. “Good for her.”

“Wait, wait, wait. ‘Indecent morality’ and ‘partaking in sexual activities within the castle’?” Remus asked. “Those aren’t set school rules.” He said. Sirius shrugged.

“According to her they are and she knows school rules forwards and backwards. Look it up if you want, but I promise it’s in the rule book.” He said. “It might be an old rule, but it’ll be there.”

“You’re awfully sure.” James said critically. “Ever been cited for it yourself?”

“ _I_ don’t get caught.” Sirius said and got up to brush his teeth.

News spread quickly that Sirius and Tiffany had split—the details hadn’t made their rounds through the school, although it was just a matter of time. The Sunday after Sirius and Pippa had caught Tiffany and Regulus shagging, Regulus received a letter that was delivered with the Black family owl. It wasn’t a Howler—Sirius’ parents thought that such public displays of disputes were classless (and he kind of agreed with them for once, to be honest)—so he didn’t know what his parents had said to their son in response to Slughorn’s letter, but Sirius doubted that it was pretty. Especially after Sirius saw Regulus’ face as he read it.

Tiffany’s parents didn’t adhere to that same school of thought on Howlers so she received an astoundingly loud one from her mother that same morning, announcing how disappointed she was that her daughter had been caught after hours, naked in a broom closet by a Prefect. People laughed at that piece of information and Tiffany looked over at Pippa from the Hufflepuff table and glared. Pippa seemed unbothered and shrugged at the other girl before resuming her breakfast a few seats down from Sirius.

Regulus caught Sirius in the toilets on the third floor, grabbing him by the elbow and scowling.

“What? I’m not going to shag you too, Regulus.” Sirius sighed, knowing he was going to be late to Transfiguration now. “I can’t even take a leak without you following me now? We’re not three anymore, you know.”

“Tell your Mudblood bitch that she’ll wish she’d never been born by the time I’m done with her. See how high and mighty she is then.” He hissed. It took Sirius a second to realize he was talking about Pippa—who wasn’t actually a Muggleborn. “Don’t worry though—once she’s nice and used up, I’ll give her back to you in pieces. Watching you try to put her back together sounds entertaining.” He added and walked off before Sirius had the chance to say anything. Sirius watched him leave, astounded.

He’d _never_ heard Regulus propose violence before—nothing except broad statements that were impossible to actually follow through on—let alone violence against a woman like that. With that thought, Sirius hurried off to Transfiguration, understanding that he was destined for detention, which was fine. Detention was fine. He could keep going on rounds with Pippa. That was just dandy with him. Sounded brilliant.

“Ah, Black. Nice of you to join us.” McGonagall said as he walked in. “Please, take a seat. Beside Miss Thatcher, if you don’t mind—Miss Evans is ill today and perhaps moving you away from Potter will help the class.”

Sirius sat next to Pippa in the front row and didn’t argue. He was actually surprised he didn’t now have detention. Maybe something on his face told McGonagall that there was something amiss so she didn’t punish him. He glanced over to see the girl next to him trying to write with her injured hand and looking quite pissed that she was so bad at it. Sirius realized that Evans had been taking notes for her since she had hurt her arm and now she wasn’t here, leaving Pippa on her own in class.

McKinnon and Macdonald could try and help, but the notes Pippa would need to advance her own magic were above their level and on par with what Evans would be taking notes on. Probably the same things Sirius would be taking notes on if he actually bothered to take notes during class: the finishing touches, the bits of refinement that perfect a spell. Sirius took the quill from her silently and she looked scandalized as he also confiscated her parchment. “Do you want legible notes or not?” He whispered and her eyes widened in obvious surprise.

“Oh. Thank you.” She whispered back and let him have her inkwell as well. He looked over her notes to figure out what they were learning and what Pippa herself was focused on. It took a minute to decipher her clumsy handwriting but as he suspected, it was refined details, the almost miniscule things that McGonagall did as she performed the spell—if she used her fingers, wrist, elbow, or shoulder more to move her wand and whether or not it was a slightly longer, more open, sound on the third “O” than it was on the first two of the incantation (it was). She was striving for absolute perfection.

Sirius absently took notes for her, dissecting everything McGonagall did when she performed the spell and writing the basics of the theory behind the spell down, much more focused on what Regulus had said. He hadn’t thought his brother was that kind of person—the kind of man to lash out at a woman by threatening to sexually assault and rape her because she “deserved it”. Sirius didn’t know who to tell about Regulus. Pippa? There wasn’t anything she could do about it except be on her guard more. McGonagall? She already knew that Mulciber had been saying something along those same lines. Dumbledore? It would just be his word against his brother’s and there was a good chance that nothing would ever come of that. Maybe tell Pippa and not give her details? She had to know. He scribbled something on the corner of her parchment and tapped her with his—really her—quill. She looked over and he nodded towards the paper.

_Regulus just cornered me in the toilets. He wants revenge._

She raised an eyebrow and quickly ripped that part off the sheet of parchment and shoved it into her bag before McGonagall could notice, being in the first row and all. The rest of the class passed without incident and McGonagall dismissed class.

“Thanks for the notes.” Pippa said with a smile. “I’m sure they’re much more legible than what I was trying to do.” She said, taking the parchment from him.

“Yeah, no worries. It was kind of painful to try and watch you write with that.” He nodded towards her arm. “How have you been doing Potions?” She shrugged.

“The girls have been helping me, mainly Lily. Thank Merlin we don’t have Potions today—I’m struggling to survive without her.” Pippa said as she _finally_ got her things packed. They were the last people in the room except McGonagall. “Right, so I’m off to Ancient Runes, so I’ll see you around.” She added as they left the classroom, Pippa wishing McGonagall a good day and thanking her for an interesting class. No wonder she could get away with literally anything in this castle.

“Oh, I’m heading that way anyways.” Sirius said, lying. He wasn’t even really sure where the class was held. She raised an eyebrow.

“Really?” She asked skeptically.

“Really.” He said, trying to bullshit his way through this.

“Where are you going? Because Runes is in a corner of the castle that has literally nothing else in it—at least nothing that’s used these days. Supposedly they used to hold Alchemy near there.” She said. Shit.

“Fine, I’m not that heading that way.” He said and she smiled a little.

“If you want to chat, you can just say so. I promise I won’t make fun.” She said as she started to walk down the corridor. “Where are you going then? You must have class or someone to prank or a girlfriend to snog.”

“Nah, not for a bit.” He lied. He had Muggle Studies in about fifteen minutes, but she didn’t need to know that. “And who said I had a girlfriend?” He asked after a minute. She laughed.

“No one. You just seem like the type to rebound quickly.” She said as they rounded a corner. Sirius didn’t know whether or not she meant that as an insult.

“Not really. Besides, every time I close my eyes, all I can see is my brother’s…package burned into my corneas.” He said, making Pippa wrinkle her nose despite the blush Sirius thought was crawling up her cheeks. “You know I’m right though. You can’t unsee it either.” He said and she shrugged. “I—Merlin, that’s the first time you’ve ever seen a bloke naked, isn’t it?” Her cheeks turned pink.

“What? No.” She said quickly. He raised an eyebrow. “You think they’re the first couple I’ve walked in on? Please.” She said, waving it off as they walked. Sirius didn’t say anything. “Admittedly, that’s the longest I’ve ever been in the same room with a naked guy.” She added on after a minute. “Don’t tell anyone I told you that.”

“I won’t, but there’s really nothing wrong with being a virgin, you know.” He said and she shrugged.

“Yeah, but I don’t fancy confirming what people think anyways.” She said. “Everyone already thinks I’m a prude—no need to validate it.” Sirius didn’t think he’d ever heard someone describe her as a prude. He’d heard wholesome a few times, but never prude.

“Whatever you say.” He said. “Are we anywhere near the class yet?” He asked, looking around. She nodded.

“Yeah, right up there.” She said and nodded ahead to where there were a few people walking into a room. “So you know, I have rounds tonight and you’re still serving detention with me, so be at McGonagall’s at six tonight, okay?” Sirius nodded, surprised to discover that he wasn’t dreading having to go to detention at all for the first time in probably ever.

“I’m looking forward to it.” He said dryly, making her smile a bit.

“Thanks for walking me.” She said softly. “It was really nice of you.” Sirius didn’t know what to say for a second.

“Um, yeah no problem. Enjoy class.” She turned to walk in. “Pippa.” She turned around. “You wouldn’t happen to know a quicker way back do you? I don’t fancy going all the way back—I think I might get lost.” She tilted her head for a second as if she was listening.

“Go down that corridor and tell the portrait of the bloke in the weird hat that luck is a fool’s weapon. Should spit you out on the third floor, I think.” She said.

“Thanks.” He said. “By the way, Regulus is pathetically endowed—just so you know.” He added before he thought twice about it. Pippa looked at him strangely, confused at what he was talking about, before she clearly understood and her face turned red. She quickly ducked into the classroom without another word.

He was going to be _so_ late to Muggle Studies.

Sirius ducked into the tunnel and found out that it was highly efficient and just so happened to end one corridor over from Muggle Studies. He was just sitting down as Professor Burbage walked in and started to teach.

James looked at him from across the class with a raised eyebrow (Burbage had separated them years ago to preemptively perform damage control) and Sirius shrugged back. Nothing he could say from over here. Besides, what could he say?

* * *

“Come in.” McGonagall said when Sirius knocked at six. “Ah, Miss Thatcher told you that she had rounds today. Good.” McGonagall said as he closed the door behind himself. “Is she with you?”

“Um, no. She said she’d meet me here at six.” Sirius said, realizing that Pippa wasn’t here. Pippa was _always_ here first. McGonagall frowned slightly.

“It’s not like her to be late.” She said. Sirius nodded in agreement.

“It’s not. Professor, while I have you for a moment, I’d like to talk to you about something.” He said. She raised an eyebrow. “I heard…different people than last time talking about harming her when I was in the toilets today. I told her and she didn’t seem very alarmed by it, but thought someone with some authority should know.” He said and McGonagall instantly looked much more worried.

“Did they say how they planned to do so?” Sirius shook his head. “Yes, well in light of that, it’s best we go look for her now.” He nodded. “Did you see her in the common room?” Sirius shook his head. “Do you know how she’d get to my office? I’m aware of her heritage—and her knowledge of this castle—so I’m assuming she wouldn’t take the conventional route.” Sirius thought through his mental map of the castle and considered the ways to get here from Gryffindor tower. There were several, all with varying degrees of stealth—something that wouldn’t be needed right now, as it was before curfew and Pippa was a Prefect anyways.

“Honestly, the conventional route is the quickest one from Gryffindor tower. There’s no getting around the Grand Staircase and your office is on the opposite side from the tower, as I’m sure you know.” Sirius said. McGonagall nodded once and led him out of her office, locking it behind her.

“I suppose heading to Gryffindor tower and hoping we run into her is best.” McGonagall said. “If she is not in Gryffindor tower and she is not waiting here when we return, we will notify the headmaster.” She added seriously. “Hopefully, she has just fallen asleep while studying or the like.”

They walked quietly towards Gryffindor tower, Sirius—unbeknownst to McGonagall—using Padfoot’s hearing to listen into rooms and corridors they passed on their way. If someone had decided to hurt her, they wouldn’t do it right in the middle of the Staircase for the entire school to see. They were walking between the fifth and sixth floor where Sirius thought he heard muffled noise from a classroom down a corridor. He paused and listened again. There was a gasp for air and then more muffled screaming followed by a clatter. The muffled noises sounded feminine.

Sirius didn’t bother to notify McGonagall that he had heard something and just followed the noises, as they sounded intensely panicked. He started to be able to smell much better and wasn’t surprised. Loss of emotional control brought out a bit more of Padfoot than usual. His smell sharpened just a bit extra, as did his hearing. He caught a whiff of a scent that was extremely familiar mixed with one that wasn’t familiar at all—and not nearly as pleasant as the familiar one.

“Mr. Black?” McGonagall said. “Have you forgotten the way to the tower?” She asked, sounding concerned about his mental state. He paused outside the classroom door and here more muffled noise and a man mutter “shut up, bitch”. He pulled out his wand and opened the door to one of the last things he would have ever wanted to see. He waved his wand, making Avery, Mulciber, and Dolohov fly back into the stacks of desks in the empty classroom, before sticking them both in full body-binds.

As he was doing this, Pippa was frantically shoving her skirt down to cover her exposed panties and sitting up from where she had been lying on the floor, pinned down by the Seventh Years. Her shirt was missing altogether and she was just in her bra. Avery had his pants down around his ankles.

“Oh God.” He said without thinking. “Pippa?” He asked, leaning down in front of her and making a point to block her view of them. “Hey, are you okay? Stupid question. Are you hurt?” She shook her head, still not looking at him. “Is your arm okay? They didn’t rip the stitches, did they?” She shook her head again. Sirius noticed that the sling was missing, just as her shirt was. “That’s good. Now, where’s your shirt?” He asked trying not to scare her, as she probably was already terrified.

“They ripped it off and vanished it.” She murmured, wrapping her arms around herself, obviously trying to cover her body. Sirius—unlike Pippa—wasn’t in uniform anymore and handed her the leather jacket he had been wearing over his Rolling Stones t-shirt. She wrapped it around herself quickly, zipping it up to cover her bra and stomach.

“Okay, can you stand?” She nodded and he helped her up, having her put her hands on one of his arms to support herself. “Do you have your wand?” He asked and she shook her head.

“No, one of them grabbed it—I don’t know which one.” She said. Sirius waved his wand and it came out of Mulciber’s pocket. He handed it to her.

“Now, McGonagall is right outside—we came looking when you didn’t show for my detention—so why don’t you go down and get her? I’m not letting these three out of my sight.” Pippa nodded and vanished through the door. “Now, you lot.” Sirius said, looking at the other three boys. They all glared at him. “Right, well you really deserve this.” he flicked his wand and all of their hands made ungodly snaps. There went all of the bones in their hands—broken into tiny little pieces. A nastily painful curse. “I told you to keep your hands to yourself, Mulciber. Good luck touching _anything_ with those things for a good while.” He said and a moment later, Professor McGonagall came in, Pippa behind her. The professor gasped, looking shocked.

“Mr. Black, please take Miss Thatcher to the hospital wing—she’ll need that arm looked at. The headmaster and I will meet you here once I’ve figured out what you’ve done to them.” She said, not looking at all sympathetic to the Slytherins’ shattered hands. Sirius nodded and left the room.

“Before we get to the hospital wing, do you want to talk about it?” He asked as they walked. Pippa suddenly burst into violent tears, reaching over and hugging him. He hugged her back, mindful of her injured arm. Sirius didn’t know what to do so he just stood there, letting her sob into his chest.

“It was so scary.” She got out through the tears. “I can’t believe that really just happened.” She said. Sirius gently rubbed her back as he hugged her.

“They didn’t—?”

“No, they were well on their way though.” She mumbled into his chest. Sirius didn’t know what to say—he had no way to relate to what had just happened to her. “I thought that was how I was going to lose my virginity.” She hiccuped before starting to cry again. “I was almost gang raped. I was actually almost raped.”

“Hey, it’s going to be okay, Pip.” He said. “Now, I really need to take you to see Pomfrey. You need a healer right now.” She nodded into his chest. “Can you walk?” She nodded again and slowly walked beside him towards the hospital wing. Thankfully, they didn’t run into anyone on their way there. Madam Pomfrey looked less than impressed.

“Miss Thatcher, where on earth is your sling?” She asked. Pippa slowly sat on a nearby bed.

“Madam Pomfrey, can we talk for a moment?” Sirius asked. She raised an eyebrow, but nodded once. “Professor McGonagall told me to bring her here. We found her…struggling with three Seventh Year boys.” He said softly, trying to come up with a word for it. “She’s not currently wearing a shirt under that jacket so maybe somewhere a bit more private than right by the door would be appropriate…” Madam Pomfrey nodded, her mild annoyance at Pippa’s noncompliance replaced with tender nurturing.

“Of course, let’s go down to the other end of the wing and we’ll get your arm looked at, hm?” Madam Pomfrey said, leading Pippa down to the very last bed by the door to her office.

“Professor McGonagall said that she and the headmaster would be along.” Sirius said as Madam Pomfrey settled Pippa onto the bed. The matron nodded.

“I’d expect so, with circumstances like these. Philippa, we need to talk about what happened and then I need to look you over to make sure you’re not hurt, so why don’t you give Mr. Black his jacket back so we can put a screen up to talk and he can go wait by the door for Professor McGonagall and the headmaster?” Madam Pomfrey asked Pippa kindly. She hesitated.

“You can keep the jacket, Pippa. I’m not going to die in the next five minutes without it.” Sirius said and she nodded. “I’ll go wait for the headmaster and McGonagall.” He added, turning to leave but Pippa suddenly reached out and took his hand. He turned back around and looked at her, wondering what she wanted.

“Please don’t leave me.” She whispered. “I don’t want to be alone.” Sirius looked over at Madam Pomfrey, who shook her head a little.

“I need to go, Pippa. Besides, Madam Pomfrey is probably going to need you to take your clothes off and I don’t need to be there for that.” He said gently. Pippa looked over at Madam Pomfrey, who nodded a bit, solemnly. “You’re going to need to tell her everything so she knows how to help you and it’s not my place to sit here and listen in.” She nodded a little and let go of his hand.

“If you go back to Gryffindor tower after you’ve talked to McGonagall and Dumbledore, can you tell the girls what happened?” She asked. “At least the basics?” He nodded. “The blokes too. They might as well know.”

“Yeah, I’ll let them know, Pippa.” He said. “Keep the jacket for as long as you need it.” He added and walked towards the entry of the hospital wing to wait for the professors. Madam Pomfrey slid a screen closed surrounding Pippa’s hospital bed and Sirius sat on the bed closest to the entrance of the wing. He did his best to not listen to what Pippa was telling the matron.

“No, they didn’t…my thighs, butt, breasts, my mouth…skirt…bra…nothing penetrative…” Sirius tried his best to block it out and was so bloody thankful to see McGonagall and Dumbledore walking towards him that it was ridiculous.

“Mr. Black.” Dumbledore said seriously. “Where is she?”

“Madam Pomfrey’s looking her over now at the other end of the ward. She’s checking her previously injured arm for further damage and the rest of her for…trauma.” Sirius said.

“Has she said whether they…?”

“She told me that they didn’t, but you’ll need to ask her about that for yourself.” Sirius said, nodding to the closed screen. The both nodded seriously.

“Now I’d like to hear what exactly happened. Minerva informed me that you’d heard male students talking about harming Miss Thatcher previously.” Sirius nodded. “And you suspected there was something wrong because…?”

“I had seen her earlier that day—I had walked her to Ancient Runes, actually—and she reminded me to be in Professor McGonagall’s office at six for my detention; I’ve been going with her on rounds for my detention, you see.” Professor Dumbledore nodded.

“And how did you find Miss Thatcher?” He asked. “Minerva hasn’t said much about how you came to find her in that classroom.”

“Well, when she didn’t show up, Professor McGonagall decided we should start to head back to Gryffindor tower to look for her. I heard something on the fifth floor down a corridor and followed the noise to the classroom.” Sirius said.

“What did you hear?” Dumbledore asked.

“It just sounded like muffled screaming, feminine. I heard a bloke say ‘shut up, bitch’ and that’s when I opened the door.” He said, thinking as hard as he possibly could. Everything was important right now.

“And how did you hear from so far down the corridor? That’s beyond most people’s hearing.” McGonagall asked. Sirius didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t given it a second thought at the time—the only thing that mattered was finding Pippa—but now? He could be in serious shit.

“Well, I’ve always had good hearing.” He said. Dumbledore looked like he knew something he wasn’t supposed to, but didn’t comment at that moment.

“And what did you see when you walked in?” He asked instead.

“Well, Pippa was on the ground—on her back—and Mulciber and Dolohov were holding her down. Avery had his pants around his ankles, although he still had boxers on, thank Merlin.” Sirius narrated, feeling quite ill.

“And what was Miss Thatcher wearing?”

“She was in her bra and her skirt was pushed up so her underwear was showing quite obviously. Her shirt and the sling for her injured arm were both gone. I gave her my jacket and get her wand back—Mulciber had taken it from her, at least he’s the one who had it.” He said. They both looked disgusted.

“And I’m assuming that you were the one that incapacitated them?” Dumbledore said. Sirius nodded. “A body-bind?” He nodded again. “The shattered hands was rather poetic, if I may say so myself.” Sirius raised an eyebrow.

“Excuse me?” He asked.

“I know it was you, Mr. Black. That’s a dangerous curse. Considering the circumstances, you’ll be let off with a warning from me and no one will ever know, but be aware that you could have irreparably damaged those boys.”

“They could have irreparably damaged her.” He said and nodded back to where Pippa and Madam Pomfrey were. “My heart isn’t exactly bleeding for them.”

“That’s fair enough.” McGonagall said. “Now, is there anything else you wish to tell us?” Sirius shook his head.

“I can’t think of anything. That’s when Pippa came to get you—you saw the rest.” She nodded.

“Thank you, Sirius.” He raised an eyebrow at his first name. McGonagall never called students by their first names. _Ever._ “You may return to Gryffindor tower.” He nodded and walked past them.

“Professors?” They looked at him as he paused in the doorway. “What’s going to happen to them? Mulciber and Avery and Dolohov?”

“They’re being sent to St. Mungo’s to repair their hands and then they will face expulsion in front of the Board of Governors. If they are expelled, they will then face legal action from the Ministry for sexual assault and battery.” Dumbledore said. “For now, Miss Thatcher’s health and safety are the most important things.” Sirius nodded and left, shoving his hands in his pockets as he walked.

* * *

He made it back to Gryffindor tower and saw Evans sitting on the sofa near the fireplace. Shit. He had to tell her.

“Evans.” She looked up.

“Oi, aren’t you supposed to be in detention with Pippa?” She asked. Sirius felt the guilt pull at him. He should have walked with her from the tower. He should have been there for her—to protect her.

“Yeah, I actually need to talk to you, McKinnon, and Macdonald about that.” He said. “Grab them and come on up to our room, yeah?” He asked. Evans looked like she wasn’t sure if he was kidding. “I’m serious, Evans—I’ve had a long night, don’t make it longer.” She nodded and got up to find her friends. Sirius headed upstairs to see James, Remus, and Peter there.

“Back early from detention.” James observed, glancing up. His face changed. “Fuck, mate what happened?” He asked, sitting up, the other two looking up as well.

“Evans, McKinnon, and Macdonald will be up here in a minute and we’ll talk.” He said and they all exchanged looks. “First rule, don’t let them go tearing off anywhere no matter what, yeah?” They all nodded. There was a knock. “Yeah.” The three girls came in, looking concerned.

“Black, what the hell is going on?” McKinnon asked.

“Well, you all know I was supposed to meet Pippa in McGonagall’s office at six for my detention, right?” Everyone nodded. “She didn’t show up.” There were nervous looks. “So, McGonagall and I went looking for her—she’s always on time, after all and McGonagall thought it was best—and when we were walking back up to here to look for her, I heard people down a corridor on the fifth floor and found her…with Mulciber, Avery, and Dolohov on top of her.”

There was a dead silence before Mary Macdonald got up, ran into the bathroom, and promptly started throwing up. Peter got up and followed her in—he was always the best at dealing with vomiting people; the other three always started throwing up at the sight of vomit. Mary and Peter came back a minute later.

“And?” Mary asked. “And she’s okay, right?” Sirius nodded.

“Yeah, for the most part. From what I gathered, they didn’t rape her exactly. It was definitely within the realm of sexual assault, but there was no…penetration from what she said. Her panties were still on when I found her and pulled them off her.” He said. “She’s being looked over by Pomfrey right now.” Lily stood up.

“We need to go see her!” She said, the other two girls standing as well.

“Evans, let’s not.” James said, standing up. She looked at him incredulously. He never contradicted her. “He told us not to let you go.” He nodded towards Sirius.

“She’s talking to McGonagall and Dumbledore right now. I just came from talking to them myself.” Sirius said. “They need to talk to her—get a testimony—because once those three get out of the hospital they’re going to be up for expulsion and possibly legal action.”

“They’re in the hospital wing _with_ her?” McKinnon asked, outraged.

“Of course they’re not. You think I walked in on that and just stunned them? They’re in St. Mungo’s—probably trying to find someone that knows how to reconstruct a hand out of three hundred shards of bone right now.” Sirius said and the girls nodded in approval.

“As it should be. They need to keep them to themselves.” Evans said.

“Look, she only wants you to know the basics right now—she asked me to tell you this much and that’s it.” Sirius said. “Wait until tomorrow morning to see her, yeah? Just give her tonight before she’s swamped with people.” Evans didn’t seem to be playing ball.

“We’ll sneak you out tonight so you can get her sweets and cards from Hogsmeade if you wait until tomorrow morning.” Remus said, making everyone look over at him. “What? If you’re going to go bursting in there, do it with chocolate and at a reasonable hour.”

Turns out the girls were willing to compromise with that after some negotiating. Peter and Marlene decided to stay back—Marlene as a watch out in the common room (she was the most convincing liar out of the girls, except for Pippa, and would sell some story to any professor that came looking) and Peter a decoy “sleeping” boy in the boys’ room.

“We’re going to get caught.” Evans muttered for the tenth time as they walked through the castle.

“It’s not even curfew, Evans. We’re just walking through the castle right now. _This_ isn’t breaking the rules.” James pointed out as they walked. “Come on, it’s here.” He said a minute later and stopped, opening the passage into Honeydukes.

“I’m never trusting you four again.” Macdonald whispered as they slipped behind the statue and headed towards the village. “How’d you find this thing?” She whispered after a couple minutes.

“Ask Sirius—he’s the one that showed it to us.” James muttered.

“Pippa.” He mumbled as they continued to walk. Macdonald and Evans both made noises of understanding and didn’t comment further.

* * *

The next morning, Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter waited until just before classes started the next morning to go see Pippa—unlike the girls, who had gone down at six. There was no one there—the girls apparently having left already.

Madam Pomfrey looked up.

“You too? I already told your female counterparts to leave gifts and go on. She’s asleep, but you can go peek in and leave everything here. She’s not going to wake up while you’re here—she had to be given a sleeping potion last night—she kept crying and no one could get her to calm down.” She sighed, nodding to the screen Pippa was presumably behind. “Black, I hope you’re not here for your jacket because you’re not getting it back for a while.” She added. They all exchanged looks.

“Your jacket?” James asked.

“When I found her, she wasn’t wearing a shirt so I gave her my jacket. So she didn’t have to walk here in her bra.” He said quietly. “I assumed she’d have taken it off when Pomfrey looked her over.”

“Apparently not.” Remus muttered as they peeked around the screen to see the gifts the girls had left on the nightstand beside Pippa, who was sleeping soundly, still in Sirius’ black leather jacket, despite now having on horrid mint green hospital pajamas on underneath the unzipped jacket. She must have wanted it on regardless of whether she was topless or not.

“Come on, let’s leave this stuff and leave. You heard Pomfrey—she’s not going to be up for a while.” James muttered and they placed the cards and chocolate alongside the girls’ gifts. “Besides, Padfoot’s totally winning ‘best gift’ category already.” He motioned to the jacket.

“Oi, she doesn’t get to keep that. It was expensive.” Sirius protested. “She’s borrowing it.” He added and they all looked at him skeptically. “Really.” No one contradicted him, but Sirius felt the disagreement in the air. “Prats.” He mumbled as they left for class, Charms starting in ten minutes.

“Black.” Sirius looked up from dinner that night to see McGonagall. Lily, Marlene, and Mary were been sitting with the four boys in light of last night.

“Um, Professor.” He said. “Whatever it was, I probably didn’t do it.” He said, making the three girls smile a bit.

“I’m sure you didn’t. I just wanted to let you know that you’re being released from the rest of your detentions for the term. Also, I’d like you to deliver these to Miss Thatcher.” She said and handed him a stack of papers and a book. He nodded. “Right now, if that’s not too much to ask.” She added dryly.

“Right, uh sure. I’ll see you lot later.” He said to his mates and the girls and left, heading for the hospital wing.

When he got there, Pippa was awake. She looked shaken, but she was awake and she wasn’t crying, so that was positive. She smiled a bit.

“Hi.” She said quietly.

“Hey.” He said, sitting in a chair nearby. “Nice to see you awake. We all came by this morning and Pomfrey had you _really_ drugged up. You even slept through James being in the room—and that took me years of practice to accomplish.” He said and she smiled faintly. “How are you doing in here? Bored? I’m always bored.”

“I feel better. I’m still a little sore from how I landed when they pushed me onto the ground, but other than that, I feel pretty good.” She said. “Pomfrey pulled my stitches out so I don’t have to wear that stupid sling anymore.” She said. Sirius nodded. That thing had caused her all kinds of problems, this being the biggest: she couldn’t defend herself from them because she couldn’t use her wand.

“That’s good. Does your right arm feel liberated?” She looked over at her arm.

“I keep forgetting that I can use it, to be honest.” She admitted. “It’s really weird how quickly you can retrain yourself to do things differently.” He nodded.

“Yeah, it takes a few days, but it comes back quicker than you think.” She smiled a bit. “Right, so McGonagall sent me to give you all of this. I don’t know what it is, but she said to give it to you.” She reached out and took the papers and book.

“Did you already talk to McGonagall and Dumbledore?” Sirius nodded.

“Last night. You?” She nodded.

“Last night. I talked to Dumbledore again with a scribe here this afternoon. Because my family is Muggle, he’s going to help me with the Board of Governors. Normally my parents would help me with all of that, but Dad’s dead and Mom…she doesn’t know a broom from a bowtruckle.” She said softly. Sirius almost smiled.

“That’s good. They need to be expelled—they need to go to jail, but I don’t know if that’ll happen.” Sirius said with a sigh. “It _should_ , but we don’t live in a time of things that should happen.” Pippa nodded sadly.

“I know.” She sighed. “Look, about yesterday…I never got to thank you.” She said softly.

“Pippa, you don’t have to—” She shook her head.

“No, I do. If you hadn’t shown up…I don’t know what they would have done with me. Well, I know the general idea, but I doubt they were going to just let me get up and walk away afterwards.”

Pippa suddenly looked very near tears. Sirius didn’t really know what to do with the tears. He decided to do nothing about them, figuring that if she wanted to be touched, she’d initiate it.

“Also, I think this is yours.” She murmured and handed him the jacket he had given her last night, the one she had been sleeping in this morning. It was still warm. She must have just taken it off. “It’s really comfortable—which I’m sure you know.”

“Yeah, that’s kind of why I bought it.” He admitted. “Thank Merlin I had it with me last night—I would have had to strip if I hadn’t. Would’ve given McGonagall quite the show.” He sighed dramatically, making her actually laugh.

That was all the gratification Sirius needed right now. If she told him that getting naked and jumping into the lake right now in subzero temperatures would make her laugh, he’d bloody do it just to see that bright smile tugging at her lips. Sirius recognized that feeling—the desperation to make her laugh—from a long time ago, from First Year, when he had developed a crush on Pippa.

He had a crush on her again, something that meant a hell of a lot more now that they weren’t eleven.

“I came in earlier with the blokes, you know—before classes this morning.” She raised an eyebrow. “Any particular reason you slept in this?” He nodded down to the jacket that he was now holding. She shrugged despite her cheeks turning a bit pink. Or so Sirius thought. It could have easily been his imagination.

“It’s warm—more than the ‘pajamas’ Pomfrey gave me. They’re practically made of paper and it’s cold in here when the sun goes down.” She said, pulling the sheets closer to her as she said it. Sirius had to admit that it _was_ cold—something he’d never really noticed because when he was here, he was usually unconscious from being hit in the head during Quidditch—and the hospital wing was only equipped with sheets, not a comforter or quilt in the entire place.

“Yeah, it is. I’ve never really noticed.” He said, voicing his thoughts. “I can let the girls know—I’m sure they’d be glad to bring down blankets from your room or something.” He offered and she shook her head.

“No, I’m fine. Really. There doesn’t need to be a big deal made. Thanks for the offer though.” She said with a small smile. “I’m assuming you told them.” She gestured to all the things. He nodded.

“The basics. How McGonagall and I went to find you, who your attackers were, that you were here.” He said. “Nothing much more than that except that you weren’t…well, you still had underwear on.” She nodded.

“Thanks. I’ll fill them in on anything else as it comes up.” She said.

“How long do you think you’ll be here?” He asked.

“A couple more nights I think. Pomfrey and Dumbledore are bringing a shrink in to talk to me—make sure I’m not permanently damaged and all that.” She said with a shrug. “I should be out of here Thursday, I reckon.”

“Right in time for the holidays.” She laughed humorlessly.

“Yeah, I guess.” Sirius recalled that she wasn’t going home for the holidays. He had forgotten until he had heard her harsh laugh.

“Sorry. I forgot.” He murmured.

“Don’t worry about it—if anyone asks, my mother and her husband are visiting his relatives in France.” She said. He raised an eyebrow. “The girls know, but I don’t want to be _that_ girl—the one with the dead dad and the stepfather that thinks she belongs in the dirt outside his house. Besides, too much digging into my family could lead to some real issues.” He nodded. “What about you? Spending Christmas with the Potters? I know you’re like family with them—everyone knows.”

“Nah, I never feel right about spending Christmas day with them—that’s a time for family and as many times as they tell me I am, I’m not.”

“You’re not going home—to London—are you?” She asked, looking absolutely horrified. Sirius remembered that he had told her when they were little kids that his mother hit him.

“No, no I’m staying here actually. First time ever.” He said. She smiled a bit.

“Well, it’ll be nice to have the company.” She said. “Christmas is usually a quiet affair with just me in the tower.” Sirius suddenly had a mental image of Pippa alone in the common room opening her Christmas gifts in dead silence with only the portraits for company. It was downright depressing and actually made him hurt for her. She didn’t deserve that.

“Well, get ready to have the _best_ Christmas in recent memory.” He said, making her laugh.

“I haven’t had a real Christmas in so long. Since Mom married Michael, but even before that she was grieving Dad and that made the holidays hard for her…I honestly haven’t had a fun Christmas since Dad died. God, I was four when he died. It’s been twelve years of shit Christmases so the bar’s pretty low.” She said, a small smile appearing on her face when she mentioned her dad only for it to disappear as soon as the name left her lips.

“We’ll do it right this year. No lonely present-opening in an empty common room.” She smiled a bit.

“Thanks for that. Wow, I haven’t given anyone a Christmas gift in person in _four years_. That’s so weird.” She mused. Just as Sirius was going to ask her if she seriously got him something, Madam Pomfrey came out to yell at him to get out.

“Oi, Professor McGonagall sent me!” He said over her shouting, standing up out of instinct not to just sit there as someone yelled. “Said to give Pippa those books there.” He added once she had stopped. “I’m going—I’m going.” He told her. The matron nodded tersely and walked back into her office. “I should probably go.” He told Pippa, who smiled.

“Probably. Tell everyone they’re more than welcome to visit—I’m bored stiff around here—and please come back yourself at some point.” She said warmly. He nodded. “Have a good night, Sirius.” She said and he started to walk away before turning around. She was looking through the papers that McGonagall had sent her.

“Hey, Pippa?” She looked up. “Why don’t you hold onto this? No need to lose fingers.” He said and handed her the jacket. She blinked in surprise.

“Are you sure?”

“Sure, just bring it back to me in one piece and don’t let the shrink run off with it. Keep it as long as you need it.” He joked. She smiled genuinely at him, warmly even.

“Thanks.” She said. “Now I really suggest leaving—Madam Pomfrey’s going to murder you in three seconds.” She said quickly. Sirius rolled his eyes, but left her to her reading.


	6. Your Own Business

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for delay, but life happened, eh? I hope you guys enjoy, although this is definitely a filler for the most part.
> 
> Christmas holiday is next and I'm thinking I'm going to upload it right after this one to make up for my absence!
> 
> Love, Essie

Sirius was on his way to class the next morning—he was the only one of his friends that was in Care of Magical Creatures—when he saw woman in official looking robes walking into the castle. She stopped him.

“Um, hello.” He said, wondering what she wanted and if this was going to make him late. Like it mattered. Kettleburn lived in his own world like 97% of the time. “Can I help you?”

“Yes, I’m so sorry, but it’s been so long since I’ve been here. Can you refresh my memory as to where the headmaster’s office is?” She asked. Sirius nodded.

“Sure. Do you know generally where it is?” He asked.

“I’ve never been there.” She admitted. “I was a good kid when I was here—but never so good that I was called in.” She said.

“I should probably just walk you then.” He said, thinking about all the random (false) turns to get there.

“If it’s not too much to ask.” She said. “I normally wouldn’t ask the first person I saw over the age of twelve, but I’m here to meet a potential patient and don’t want to be late.” Sirius looked at her critically. Patient? She could be a Healer, but she sure as hell didn’t look like one. Her robes weren’t from St. Mungo’s.

“You’re the shrink.” He said. She raised an eyebrow.

“News travels fast.” She observed. Sirius shrugged.

“Of sorts. She’s in my house.” He said. “Come on, Dumbledore’s office is this way.” He added and started leading her back up the way he had come.

“That’s not a reason to know that a psychiatrist is coming to see her. There are plenty of people in Gryffindor.” She observed.

“She’s in my house _and_ year.” Sirius edited as they walked.

“Do you know Philippa personally?” She asked. He hesitated.

“There’s only eight of us Gryffindor Fifth Years so yeah, I know her.” He said, not really knowing what to say. “So you _are_ the shrink, right?” He clarified. She smiled and nodded.

“That’s me.” She said. “Have you seen Philippa since Monday afternoon?” She asked in what she likely hoped was a neutral way that wouldn’t give away what had happened in case he didn’t know.

“Sure. Saw her yesterday evening. Professor McGonagall asked me to run a few books down to her in the hospital wing.” He said with a shrug.

“How is she?”

“Bored and freezing her toes off. Apparently it’s terribly cold in the hospital wing at night.” He said, not knowing what to say. That was really all they had talked about that Sirius felt he could disclose to this woman—trained professional or not.

“I wouldn’t know.” She said.

“I really wouldn’t either. I’m usually out cold when I’m there overnight.” She raised an eyebrow. “I play Quidditch.” He added at her look. The confusion cleared.

“What position?”

“Keeper.” He said. “My best mate’s the real superstar though—best chaser Hogwarts has seen ‘in living memory’ according to a lot of the school, even some professors have admitted it within the last year.”

“Does that bother you?” He looked over at her, taken aback at the question.

“Course not. James is brilliant and he deserves to be recognized for it. Besides, I’ve found that people talking about you is overrated.” He said absently.

“Get a lot of people talking about you?”

“Well, when you break centuries worth of tradition with your Sorting, it happens.” He said. She looked interested. “Sirius Black, proud Gryffindor, at your service.” He added dryly. Her eyebrows crawled up her forehead.

“Point taken.” She said. “So, tell me more about Philippa.” He shrugged.

“Not much more to say. She’s a good person, nice, smart, funny—tough as nails too.” He said, thinking it over.

“What makes you say she’s tough?” The fact she cried blood and then walked it off like it was nothing, bitching and moaning about having to go to the hospital wing because of it? Not like he could tell this woman that.

“She just is.” He said as they reached the statues in front of Dumbledore’s office. “Do you know the password? I reckon he’s changed it since I was here last month.” She raised an eyebrow. “I enjoy the occasional prank.”

“Peppermint sticks.” She said and the statues stepped aside. “Thanks for walking me.” She said.

“I might come up with you to get a note out of class—I’m supposed to be in Care of Magical Creatures.” He muttered, making her laugh.

“By all means, I’ll vouch for you.” She said and Sirius knocked on Dumbledore’s door.

“Hi, Professor.” He said, poking his head in.

“Mr. Black. May I ask what you’re doing here? If I recall you have class right now.” Dumbledore said, looking interested.

“See, I was heading out to class and out of all the people, Pippa’s shrink picked me out to ask where your office was. She’s right here and will be more than happy to tell you that actually happened.” He said, walking into the room, the woman right behind him.

“That’s actually true. He was the first person I found over the age of twelve.” The woman said. “It’s good to see you again, Professor.”

“You as well, Ms. Carter. It’s actually quite beneficial you ran into Sirius of all people.” Fuck.

“And why is that? I know he mentioned he knows Miss Thatcher.” She said, looking at him. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

“I’m going to go to class before Professor Kettleburn realizes I’m not there.” Sirius said quickly.

“Stay.” Dumbledore said, clearly not asking. Sirius winced. “Ms. Carter, Sirius is the person that found Philippa.” The woman looked at him. “I’m assuming he failed to tell you that.”

“Interestingly, he did.” She said. “I can only wonder why that is. I’d think he’d want to help her.”

“Because it’s not my place and as a rule, I don’t talk to strangers about my friends. We’re in a war, lady—that gets people killed.” He said, dropping the ‘yeah, I kind of know Pippa’ act. She raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Nothing. Is there anything I should know before I speak to Philippa?” She asked. Sirius thought that over.

“She’s smarter than you think she is. I don’t care if you think she’s a genius, I promise she knows more than you think she does.” He said. “Now, if that’s all…”

“Sirius, tell her how you found Philippa.” Dumbledore said.

“Half-naked?” Sirius said, not enjoying this. “Wandless? Being assaulted by three blokes that are fast-tracked to be Death Eaters? That do it for you?”

“That will be adequate, Sirius. You may go to class now.” Dumbledore said, looking like he knew he wasn’t going to get anything else out of him.

“If it’s not too much to ask, could someone show me to the hospital wing? I’m quite turned around.” That woman—Ms. Carter or whatever—asked.

“Sirius, I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you. I have a meeting in the Ministry very soon.” Dumbledore said. Sirius nodded.

“Of course, Professor.” He said, inwardly groaning. He didn’t want to deal with this woman any longer than he had to. He left with her and they started walking in silence.

“Why didn’t you tell me you knew her?”

“I told you I knew her.” Sirius said. “I didn’t say how well, but I said I knew her.” He added.

“I’m not going to hurt her, Sirius. I’m just here to make sure she’s okay—you don’t have to be so defensive. Not everyone is out to get you or the people you care for.” She said. He looked over at her. “I went to school with your parents. I’m assuming they weren’t very…welcoming to a Gryffindor son. Doesn’t take a genius.”

“Old habits die hard, I suppose.” He said, not elaborating.

“You said she was smart.”

“She is.”

“How smart?”

“One of the smartest people I’ve ever met—and I’ve met Dumbledore.” He said, telling the truth. Pippa’s knowledge was inherent—it came in her blood—and she was becoming more attuned to it with every day.

“She’s pureblood? I recognize her last name.”

“Muggleborn. The last name’s just a fluke.” He lied, not thinking twice about it anymore. That had been a huge question when they had been younger: was she one of _those_ Thatchers?

“Interesting. Someone who’s one of the smartest people you know—Dumbledore included—and the surname of a purely Ravenclaw family all by accident.” She said. Sirius shrugged.

“The world’s weird, huh?” He asked. “Here we are.” He motioned to the doors.

“Don’t you want to come say hello?” She asked. Sirius looked at her critically, feeling like he was being manipulated for something, but also not in a position to say no. If Pippa found out he’d declined, she’d be seriously hurt.

“I guess. I should really go back to class.” She rolled her eyes.

“Please, you’re not actually going to class and we both know it.” She said and pulled him into the hospital wing. Pippa looked up from her book, clearly surprised.

“Sirius?” She asked, putting her book down. It was still freezing and she was still in his jacket. He was really glad he had left it for her because he was already starting to shiver. “As nice as it always is to see you, shouldn’t you be in class?”

“I didn’t mean to be here for this.” He said immediately. “Dumbledore and weird circumstances.” She nodded, obviously believing that. Things really needed no further explanation than those four words. “Also, I don’t remember the last time Kettleburn paid attention to something that only had two feet—he won’t notice I’m gone.” He said dryly. She shrugged, not having the professor herself. She looked at the woman that was with him.

“Um, who…?”

“This is your shrink. She didn’t know how to get to Dumbledore’s office and she asked me so I showed her and then she didn’t know how to get here, so he told me to show her the way and yeah.” Sirius said. The woman smiled at her brightly.

“Jessica Carter.” She said, shaking Pippa’s hand. “You’re Philippa?” Pippa nodded. “It’s lovely to meet you—and I prefer the term psychiatrist.” She added, glancing at Sirius. Whoops.

“Nice to meet you too. I mean I’d rather not being getting a psych evaluation, but it’s whatever, I guess.” Pippa said. “Really, it’s just quite unneeded.” Sirius silently agreed, but didn’t say anything. He tried to slowly back away behind Jessica Carter’s back, silently waving goodbye to Pippa behind her. She smiled a bit at him and he quickly left.

Pippa silently watched Sirius leave, wishing she could go with him. She didn’t want to sit here like she was a basket case, like she was something that would explode with even the slightest pressure. That was how all of her friends were treating her—except for Sirius, who had been making jokes about stripping for McGonagall last night—and it was driving her insane.

“Do you want to take a seat?” Pippa asked the woman—Jessica—and waved her wand to clear all of her class notes and books away. “I really do prefer to meet people outside of hospital beds.” She smiled like she was humoring her. Great.

“Now, you know what we’re here to talk about?”

“I don’t need three guesses if that’s what you mean.” She said dryly.

“Why don’t you tell me about it?”

“What have they told you?” Pippa asked.

“The basics. You were found struggling against three men older than you, that you were sexually assaulted, but not technically raped.” Pippa nodded.

It hardly even sounded real to her. Just words. They had just felt like words ever since Sirius had walked into that room and put his jacket around her, asking her if she was hurt. It was like it had stopped being real at that moment. It had only become real again for a few hours that night after he had left her. She had been inconsolable, sobbing and hysterical—Pomfrey had been forced to sedate her just to get her to sleep.

“Professor Dumbledore told me that it was Sirius that found you and I’m assuming he was the one to remove the three boys from you.” Pippa nodded. “Good thing he was there, right?”

“Yeah, thank God. It would have gone so much further if he hadn’t been.” Pippa said, pulling the sleeves of Sirius’ jacket over her hands a bit.

“I actually want to talk to you about him a bit.” She said, looking interested. “I talked to him for a bit on our walk to Dumbledore’s and then to here and he was very…withdrawn about what he had to say about you.” Pippa blinked in surprise. “He only had nice things to say about you—but he was very hesitant to admit to knowing you at first.” Well ouch. “You look hurt.”

“Well yeah, he’s my friend and there’s nothing wrong with that. At least I don’t think so.” She said.

“He mentioned later that he felt like he wasn’t in a position to say anything to me because he wanted to respect your privacy, especially knowing who I was.” She added. Pippa nodded and felt the sting recede. “For what it’s worth, I believe him. Now, Dumbledore said he found you.” Pippa nodded again.

“Yeah.”

“Can you tell me about when he found you? What he did, what you did, what your attackers did?” She asked. Pippa nodded and thought back to that night—despite her instincts screaming at her to put it behind her and not look back.

“Well, the three of them had me on the ground. Two of them were holding me down on my back—they had already ripped my shirt off and my panties were next—and the third one was getting ready to pull his boxers down. I’d been trying to scream bloody murder, but it wasn’t very effective—at least I thought it wasn’t at the time—and I was freaking out trying to get away when the door just… _opened_. Everyone just stopped what they were doing—I even stopped struggling I was so surprised. It was Sirius—obviously—and he put full body-binds on all three of them. He asked me if I was hurt and I said that I wasn’t. He asked if they had pulled the stitches I had in my arm—I had stitches in my arm at that time. I think that was when he realized I was missing a shirt because he gave me his jacket and helped me up. He told me to get Professor McGonagall—she had been looking for me with him—because he didn’t want to leave my…attackers alone or with me. I went to go get Professor McGonagall and then she sent us to the hospital wing so I could be looked at. He gave his account of what happened to Dumbledore and left.” Pippa said, trying to give an accurate account of what had happened. She might have missed a bit, but it was mostly there.

“It sounds like you got very lucky.” Jessica observed. Pippa nodded.

“Yeah, I did. Honestly when that door opened I thought it was going to be just another bloke looking to ‘fuck me bloody’, I think they called it, but it wasn’t and it was like a miracle.” Pippa said. “It was like a legitimate miracle.” She nodded.

“That’s the jacket?” She asked, nodding to the jacket still on Pippa’s body. She nodded a little.

“Yeah, he let me keep it overnight because he left before Madam Pomfrey finished her physical on me—and I was using this as a shirt—and when I saw him again yesterday, I offered to give it back, but he told me to hold onto it because I had said how cold it was in here and how useless the hospital pajamas are.” She said.

“It’s admittedly dreadful in here.” She said. “Must be to keep bacteria from growing or something. It was really nice of him to let you keep it.” Pippa nodded a little, smiling a bit.

“Yeah, it was. I know how much he likes this thing—the entire school knows, to be honest. Also, I’m not keeping it. I think this is considered…long-term rental or something.” Jessica smiled at that.

“It’s good that you can speak candidly about what happened. Now, have you experienced any kinds emotional bursts?”

“A couple; once right afterwards when Sirius was walking me to the hospital wing and another one later that night. I’ve been pretty steady ever since then though.” Pippa said, thinking it over.

“And how did they resolve? The outbursts, I mean.”

“Well, the first one I just kind of calmed down on my own and the second Madam Pomfrey sedated me because I couldn’t sleep.” She said. “Not my proudest moment, I’ll admit.”

“No need to be ashamed—if anyone deserves some of the good stuff to sleep, it’s you.” She said. “Do you parents know what’s happened?” She asked.

“My dad’s dead.” Pippa said, feeling the pang of sadness that always came with that sentence. “And I’m not sure if my mother and her husband are aware. No one has mentioned one way or another actually.” She said, thinking about her mom for the first time.

“Your mother’s remarried?”

“When I was ten.”

“Siblings?”

“A half-brother named Jake.” She said.

“Are you close to your stepfather and brother?”

“No. They’re Muggle—like my mother—and they’re both very clear in their belief that I’m a freak because I’m magical.” Pippa said. “I fail to see how this relates, I have to admit.”

“Just wondering. Sirius said you’re Muggleborn?” Pippa nodded. “Interesting coincidence, your surname I mean.”

“I know. That was a huge deal when we started here First Year, but sorry to disappoint—I’m not one of _those_ Thatchers.” Pippa lied, hoping this woman wasn’t very good at her job and that she wouldn’t question the lie.

“You can speak honestly with me, Philippa. There’s no need to hide.” She said. “I’ve found myself to be a highly trustworthy person.”

“I know you think I’m lying, but I’m not. Ask Professor Dumbledore about my blood purity status: he’ll be more than happy to confirm the fact I’m Muggleborn, I’m sure.” Pippa said. “And by the way, no one’s trustworthy under the Cruciatus—well, very few people are.” She amended after a moment.

“What about your friends?”

“What about them?”

“Are they trustworthy?” She asked. “Even with the Cruciatus, as you put it so…honestly.” Pippa shrugged.

“They have been so far—although I don’t think any of them have ever been tortured.” Except Sirius, but it wasn’t like this woman needed to know that.

“Except?”

“That has nothing to do with why you’re here.” Pippa snapped. “I trust my friends—they’re good people.” She added. “Anything else?”

“How have you been feeling? In shock? Anxious at the thought of having to leave the hospital wing and return to daily life? Maybe a bit irritable?” She asked.

“Not really. I’m rather annoyed with that question though, now that you mention it.” She said. “Honestly everyone that I see in here comes with flowers, asking how I feel, as if I’m going to shatter into a million pieces.”

“To be fair to everyone you see, you underwent a huge trauma and they likely don’t know what _to_ say about it.” Jessica said, looking at her keenly.

“What?” The woman raised an eyebrow. “I know you want to say something.”

“I was just wondering if there’s anyone that does treat you how you’d like to be treated or if they’re all getting on your nerves.” Pippa shrugged.

“It’s really the girls that are tip-toeing around me. The blokes—from what little I’ve seen of them—are taking more of the ‘sorry this happened, but rise above it’ stance, which is nice.” She nodded, looking interested.

* * *

 

Jessica Carter wasn’t particularly looking forward to her second day with Philippa Thatcher. She was a generally reserved girl, quiet and deeply disillusioned with the world. That probably came with being Muggleborn, which Dumbledore had confirmed she was when Jess asked him, in these times. She was much less dynamic than Sirius Black had implied she was when he had said she was a brilliant girl—clever, witty, and wickedly smart.

Lack of personality aside, she seemed to be coping quite well with what had happened and Jess didn’t think she’d be seeing her on a regular basis after today—Dumbledore still wanted her to come talk to her every once in a while for a bit, but that was hardly regularly.

Jess approached the hospital wing to see Madam Pomfrey walking outside. She looked relieved at the other woman’s appearance.

“Thank goodness you’re here—you can make them all leave.” She said. “Never a moment’s rest with those four.” Jess raised an eyebrow. “Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew.” She added like this explained everything. “They’re…well, they prefer the term ‘marauders’—Professor McGonagall prefers the term ‘troublesome’.”

“I met Sirius Black yesterday—he walked me here. Didn’t seem particularly troublesome.” She said. The boy had seemed witty and guarded, but not a troublemaker. Judging by the hospital matron’s face, that was her mistake.

“I’ll be back in about an hour—I need to speak to the headmaster.” She said and headed off. Jess looked into the wing to see four blokes sitting on or around Philippa Thatcher’s bed. She recognized Sirius Black in a chair with his legs kicked up on the bed, back to Jess. There was a tall skinny boy with brown hair on her other side—feet on the ground—a smaller, rather chubby boy next to him, and a boy with glasses sitting on the foot of the girl’s bed, showing her something on a piece of parchment.

Philippa Thatcher was—for the first time since Jess had met her— _laughing_. She looked different when she laughed. She had looked small and withdrawn in her hospital pajamas yesterday, quite like a sad, albeit disgruntled, puppy. She was smiling and for the first time she struck Jess as beautiful.

“No, you dolts—so bloody unimaginative. Look, Slytherin’s common room is here, under the Black Lake, right? So, the best way to put something there they can’t get rid of is on the _other_ side of the glass.” She was saying. “I’m sure there’s a spell to move things from one side of the glass to the other and if there isn’t or you can’t find one, just make a drawing of what you want and convince Peeves to help you out and draw it—he doesn’t need air to breathe, after all. I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to help you raise a little hell.” Jess raised an eyebrow. That was breaking about ten school rules. At least.

“Thatcher, you’re a bloody genius.” The boy with the glasses said. Philippa laughed, shaking her head a little.

“You can call me Pippa—all of you. My first name doesn’t bite.” She said.

“Right, Pippa. I’m James.” He said, obnoxiously offering her his hand with a heavily posh accent.

“Oi, stop it—I can’t help that’s how I sound.” Sirius Black protested.

“Yeah, Padfoot can’t help that he grew up really, _really_ rich.” The tall skinny boy said with a smirk, making the other four laugh as well.

“I’ve been meaning to tell you, but thanks for picking up my rounds, Remus—Lily told me that you’ve been splitting them with her.” They were _Prefects?_ Was Dumbledore insane?

“Course. Can’t let Sirius’ brother get away with shagging after hours can we?” The tall boy—Remus—said. Sirius Black groaned and Philippa made a face.

“I’ve never wanted to unsee something more.” She said. “I’ll give your brother this, Sirius: he’s proud.” The other three boys started roaring with laughter at that and Sirius Black gently pushed Philippa’s arm, clearly joking.

“Don’t bloody know why—really, I always suspected he had adequacy issues and after that, I can say that he definitely _should_ if he doesn’t.” That set off another round of laughter, this time all of them joining in. Remus looked up and saw her. He immediately tensed and said something to the boy on Philippa’s bed—James—who hastily tapped the paper he had been showing her with his wand before shoving it in his back pocket.

“Pippa, I think you have a visitor.” Remus said, nodding towards the door, making them all look at where Jess had been idly watching. She noticed that the boy on her bed—James—stood up so he was facing Jess and between her and Philippa. Sirius did the same, standing up as well and turning to face her. Jess saw his hand moving towards his wand in his pocket. Remus and the fourth boy that hadn’t been named slowly draw their wands.

“Oh, um right. That’s Jessica. She’s here to make sure that I’m not permanently scarred emotionally after this past week.” Philippa said. Jess noticed that only then did James stow his wand and all of the boys relax.

“Even if you are, will you still help us with pranks?” James asked. Philippa laughed, but nodded. “We don’t mind if you’re scarred. Sirius is plenty emotionally damaged and we still like him.” Sirius flipped James off, rolling his eyes. “Come on, mate—you know Mom, Dad, and I love you.”

“Aw.” Philippa said from her bed. “That’s so cute—and of course, James. I’ll be your consultant only if I get to be invisible. My reputation is important to me—I like being the good girl.” She said with a wink.

“Well, we should probably let her do her job.” The fourth boy said. The other three nodded and Philippa looked quite sad to see them going. “It was good to see you, Pippa.” She smiled.

“Yeah, you too, guys. Please come by again soon—I’m bored stiff around here. And tell the girls to swing by too. I need Lily’s notes from class and Marlene owes me a shit ton of chocolate from when Mare was in Mungo’s—stress ate my entire stash in one go that night.”

“Oh, shit, I almost forgot. Evans said to give these to you.” Sirius said abruptly and pulled papers from his bag, which he had just picked up off the ground. “Said that they were from Potions and Charms.” He handed her a stack of papers. She took them with a smile.

“Thanks. I’ll see you four soon, yeah?” They all nodded and left with a chorus of goodbyes and a thank you for the pranking advice after each giving her quick hugs and waving. Philippa flipped through the papers Sirius had given her and smiled a bit before putting them down on her nightstand. “Well, shouldn’t we get started?” She asked tiredly. Jess could almost see her crawling back into her shell. She wasn’t naturally this reserved—obviously. At least not with people she trusted.

“Of course. Now, those were your friends?” She nodded. “And I’m assuming they have names?”

“Sure. You met Sirius already, the bloke with the glasses is James, the tall one is Remus, and the short one is Peter.” She said. “They’re all roommates.” She nodded.

She had suspected as much—Gryffindors were generally pretty close knit, much more so than Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw and rivaled by Slytherin. They looked after each other unquestioningly and those boys had immediately moved to protect her from a strange face. Even if they weren’t particularly close, they protected their own at all costs.

“They seem like nice boys.”

“Yeah, they’re good blokes. Most professors have a…complicated relationship with them, but they’re good people.” She said.

“Madam Pomfrey said ‘troublesome’ would be a word for it.”

“That’s one word for it. See, Sirius, James, and Remus are all legitimate geniuses and Peter’s a bloody good liar. They’re good at pranking, but they’re brilliant in class so there isn’t much room to complain in terms of academics.” She said. Jess raised an eyebrow. That was an unusual combination: academically brilliant _and_ troublesome. “Pranking aside, they’re good people—they mean well. Besides, I think the pranking does a lot of good; we can all use a good laugh these days and that’s what they’re good at: making people laugh.”

“They make you laugh.” Jess said.

“They make everyone laugh.”

“Not much makes you laugh from what I’ve seen.”

“Maybe you’re just not that funny.” Philippa said dryly. Jess raised an eyebrow. This sharp tongue hadn’t been here yesterday. Maybe seeing more of her friends was bringing her back.

“Maybe. I always was dismal at jokes.” She admitted. “How was last night? You said you had a hard time the first night after the attack.”

“Last night was fine.” She said with a shrug. “I’m just bored to death. At least I’ll have the holidays to catch up on all the work I’m missing—OWL year and all.”

“It’s a tough year—I remember it well. I want to talk a bit more about your friends.” Philippa nodded. “James mentioned that Sirius is emotionally damaged.” The girl tensed, eyeing her distrustfully.

“What about it?” She asked tightly, the look on her face saying that she knew exactly what Jess was talking about.

“Why is that?”

“That has nothing to do with you and it has nothing to do with my mental state. It’s not your place to ask and it’s not mine to say anything.” She snapped, eyes narrowing. There was the same Gryffindor protectiveness that she had seen earlier. Jess stopped there, not wanting to discover what happened when you pushed that protective streak a bit too far.

“Of course. I’d imagine being Gryffindor with his surname isn’t easy though.” She said. “I was only curious.”

“Well take your curiosity somewhere else because you don’t need to be sniffing around—it’s nothing to do with you.” She said, obviously closing that to discussion. Jess didn’t feel like testing how serious she was about it and just as she thought that, the hospital wing doors came flying open, making them both look up. It was two girls in hysterical laughter and one with a flaming red face.

“Um, do you know them too?” Jess asked Philippa. She nodded as the three girls walked over. They didn’t seem to even notice Jess.

“Morning, you three.” Philippa said, looking amused. “Something funny?”

“Do you remember that First Year that kept touching your bum at Slughorn’s party?” The redhead giggled. Philippa made a face and groaned.

“Tragically. He kept following me until I bumped into Sirius and he put the fear of God into the kid. Why?” She asked, looking interested.

“Because he just asked Marlene out.” The brunette said, continuing to giggle. Marlene was presumably the blonde one with the bright red face. “Should’ve seen her face. Worse than when Snape asked to ‘escort Lily to Slughorn’s soiree’ last year.” The redhead went the same shade as her hair, setting both Philippa and the other brunette into a round of giggles.

“Oi, why are you laughing, Thatcher? We were all there when you turned Fabian Prewett down.” The blonde—Marlene apparently—said, still looking embarrassed, but now also grinning. “The only think you could get out was, ‘oh, that’s really nice of you Fabian, but I’m already interested in someone else; besides, I don’t know you very well at all’.” She mimicked in a ridiculously high voice. Philippa’s face turned pink.

“Oh shut up.” She said. The redhead—Lily—grinned. “You three should have walked away since we already knew it was coming, you know.”

“Yeah, but we all wanted to see. Besides, we learned some very interesting information. Little Pippa—”

“I’m taller than you, you know.”

“Little Pippa’s got a crush on Mystery Boy.” Marlene laughed.

“Mystery Boy?” Lily asked incredulously. “Please, like it’s a real bloody mystery. We all know that it’s—”

“This is my therapist!” Philippa said loudly, cutting off her friend. “She’s here to make sure I’m not permanently damaged.” They all looked over at her, apparently noticing Jess for the first time.

“Oh, sorry for interrupting.” The brunette said. “We’ll go now.” She said and they all hugged Philippa quickly before leaving.

“Oi!” The three girls turned around. “Stop speculating about my non-existent love life!” She shouted after them, making the three girls laugh as they left. “Sorry about them. They…well, they’re pretty single-minded.” She added the Jess. “What were we talking about?”

“Um, I do believe you were telling me to mind my own business.” Jess said.

“Right. Well, mind your own business.”


	7. Fancy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's your double update--Christmas holiday right in time for the holiday season!
> 
> Love, Essie

“You’re sure you’re going to be okay here on your own?” Lily asked Pippa seriously. She smiled a bit and nodded.

“I’ll be fine, Lils. Besides, I’m not going to be alone in the tower like usual. Sirius mentioned that he’ll be here too.” Pippa said.

“Oh, he’s not going home with the Potters?” She asked, clearly surprised.

“That’s what I said, but he said that he never feels comfortable over there on Christmas so he’s just staying here this year.” Pippa said with a shrug. “Well, as much as it sucks for him, it’ll be nice to have the company.” She added.

“Oh, _I bet_ it will be.” Marlene said. Pippa was riding up to the platform in a carriage with her three friends, all of whom were going home. Mare and Lily both started giggling. Pippa raised an eyebrow. “Please, we all know that you have a crush on Sirius.” Pippa felt her cheeks warm up.

“That’s _so_ not true.” She protested, not even trying to convince herself. They all stared at her. “Fine. It’s true.” She said, crossing her arms. They all squealed.

“Aw, it’s really cute!” Mare said with a giant smile. “I had a problem with him and James for the longest time, but they were so nice, sneaking us out to get you chocolate and stuff—not to mention that they went to see you everyday you were in the hospital wing to keep you entertained.” The other two nodded in agreement.

“You’d be really good for each other.” Lily added. “You always carried a good dynamic with him, even as little kids and we always thought he fancied you when we were First Years.” Pippa felt her face darken a shade of red.

“Thank bloody God you lot are leaving for a few weeks.” She muttered as the carriage came to a halt at the platform, the train waiting for everyone but Pippa, Sirius, and maybe two other kids—if there were even that many.

“Come on, you have to admit that you’d be really cute.” Marlene said as they walked towards the train. Pippa scowled.

“I’m not admitting shit. I’ve said enough as it is.” She said, noticing the platform was practically empty now. “You three should go on before you miss the train.” She added, hugging her three friends quickly. “Go on.” She added, shooing them onto the train, all of them waving to her out a window and shouting that they’d write her loads and to look for their gifts in the post as the train started to leave.

The train vanished from view and Pippa was left standing alone on the platform. She had to admit that she didn’t particularly like being alone ever since her…attack, especially in public—yet empty—parts of the castle. Being without her friends in the Great Hall didn’t bother her, but walking to Ancient Runes without them did—which really was going to suck because she was the only one who took Ancient Runes out of her friends.

“Ready to go, Pippa?” A voice asked, making her jump. She turned to see that it was just Hagrid. She smiled. He had held a carriage for her to get back to the castle on. He was such a sweet person.

“Yeah.” She said as he led her over to the carriage and helped her into it. “Thanks for holding one for me, Hagrid.” She added, genuinely meaning it. “I’ll see you around the castle, yeah?”

“Course. Someone’s got to haul those bloody trees into the castle.” He chuckled. “Go on back to the castle, Pippa. You’ll freeze your toes off out here.” He added and closed the door to the carriage behind her. It pulled away a moment later and Pippa settled in for the ten-minute or so ride back to the castle.

When she got there, the carriage stopped just outside the front doors. Pippa always wondered whether the carriages actually pulled themselves or if there was something invisible doing it that could make decisions for itself.

She saw a sudden glimpse of a skeletal horse with wings in her head. Someone was answering her question. Pippa got out of the carriage and looked at where the thestral supposedly was. There was nothing there. They can only be seen by people who have seen death, she knew intuitively—one of her ancestors was telling her. Pippa wasn’t sure who it was, but she suspected Rowena, as she was almost always who provided information about Hogwarts. Pippa reached a hand out, but retracted it, not knowing if she wanted to touch the creature.

“You can see them too?” A voice asked behind her, making Pippa jump. She turned to see Sirius. She shook her head. “But you know they’re there.”

“I was wondering how the carriages move and Rowena showed me what they look like, but I can’t see them for myself.” Sirius nodded. “You can.” He nodded again. “Oh.” Sirius walked over and presumably touched the thestral, even though it looked like he was just stroking air to Pippa.

“My family—when house elves are too old to carry tea trays anymore, they’re beheaded. We had two house elves, when I was a boy.” He said absently. “Kreacher and Mipsy. Kreacher is my mother’s—does everything she says without question and he’s quite fond of Regulus these days. He’s a right pain in the ass and rotten to his core. Mipsy was, for lack of a better description, my nanny. She took care of Regulus and I when we were babies and then when we were toddlers and then when we were kids. She was hired by my family to raise Regulus and I, but when Regulus was going into his First Year, she was getting old and there wasn’t going to be a need for her anymore, as both of us were going to be out of the house.”

Pippa closed her eyes, feeling her stomach twist. It didn’t take a genius to figure out where this was going and Sirius’ eyes were solidly trained on the creature Pippa couldn’t see.

“Just before Regulus and I left for Hogwarts at the start of my Second Year, Mipsy accidentally dumped tea all over my mother. They thought it was on purpose because I had always been closest to her and my mother had just given me a belting that left bruises for almost three months. They thought she was lashing out on my behalf. So, they sent Regulus to his room and took me down to the kitchen. My father beheaded her on our kitchen table and my mother made me watch.” Pippa felt her chest squeeze uncomfortably. “My family has this other lovely habit of stuffing the heads and hanging them on the wall. So every time I walk downstairs from my room, I walk by Mipsy’s head hanging on a plaque.” Sirius narrated, sounding quite empty. That was fucking brutal. “So, yes, Pippa. I can see them.”

“I’m sorry.” She said, not knowing what to say. He shrugged.

“I’m not the one that got my head chopped off.” He said and took his hand off the thestral. “They’re nothing to be scared of, you know—Thestrals I mean. They’re gentle creatures that have a bad reputation.”

“From what Rowena showed me, they look a little creepy—no offense to your mate pulling the carriage here.” She said. Sirius smiled a bit.

“Give me your hand.” She raised an eyebrow. “Come on, I don’t bite.” Pippa gave him her hand and he moved it until she felt something underneath her palm, even though there was decidedly nothing there.

“Wow.” She murmured. “What part of him is this?” She asked Sirius, futilely trying to see something.

“His wing. They look a little bit like bat wings—just horse-sized.” Sirius said quietly as Pippa slowly stroked the wing of a creature she couldn’t see. She felt something bump her out of nowhere, which made her jump and Sirius laugh.

“What was that?” She asked, looking at him.

“His nose.” Sirius said. “Here, give me your hands again.” He said and moved her over a step and then placed her hands so she felt what was an extremely bony horse nose under both of them. “See? They’re not scary or bad luck—just misunderstood.” Pippa nodded and became acutely aware of how close she was standing to Sirius, as he had pulled her towards him to move her near the Thestral’s head. “I always liked them, myself.”

“You can relate?” She asked absently, glancing back at him. He raised a skeptical eyebrow. “You’re right; gentle creatures with bad reputations—deeply misunderstood. Doesn’t sound like you at all.” She added with a shrug.

“Come on, let’s get inside. You must be freezing.” Sirius said after a minute of silence. Pippa looked down at her jacket and jeans. She was admittedly a bit cold, as she hadn’t bothered with a coat and it was currently snowing onto them both.

“A bit, yeah.” She admitted as they walked into the castle, closing the doors behind them and heading for Gryffindor tower as the carriage pulled away.

“Can you not tell anyone I told you that? No one knows about Mipsy except for my parents. Regulus doesn’t know how she died. I think our parents told him that she asked for her head to cut off because she was so ashamed at spilling tea on her mistress.” Sirius said suddenly. Pippa nodded.

“Course. Not a word.” She said. “This is a really depressing way to start Christmas holiday.” She added, making Sirius smile a bit.

“I know. I said we’d have a great Christmas and I’ve told you about my decapitated house elf. We’re really setting a great tone for the next three weeks.” Sirius told her with a small smile. She smiled back.

As it was, Sirius and Pippa apparently did set a great tone for the next three weeks because this was the best Christmas holiday that Pippa could remember having with any clarity—as her father had died right as she was beginning to form solid memories.

* * *

Sirius woke up Christmas morning and smiled. He hadn’t told Pippa, but this was the first time he hadn’t gone back to his parents’ house for the holidays—he had just let her assume he had been going to the Potters’ all these years. This was the best holiday that Sirius could remember—probably the best ever, to be honest. Unlike Pippa, he hadn’t had a loving parent that had died young; his hadn’t ever truly loved their oldest son.

He got up and walked downstairs to see that there were gifts wrapped under the tree in the common room. Just as his feet hit the bottom of the stairs, Pippa appeared at the top of her staircase in her pajamas with a serious case of bedhead, yawning.

“Happy Christmas.” She said, rubbing her eyes.

“You too.” Sirius said, appreciating the shape of her legs in her leggings. She was in a cropped t-shirt as well, which also allowed Sirius to look at the curves of her hips—and her ass when she turned around. He tried not to look because it made him feel a bit like a pervert, but she had a lovely figure and he hadn’t ever really seen it before due to their school uniforms. “Gifts?” He asked and she nodded, sitting down on the floor near the tree, starting to sort gifts for the two of them into separate piles. Her hands paused after a minute.

“You didn’t have to get me anything, Sirius.” She said, apparently having stumbled across the gift he had left for her under the tree.

“Course I did. Besides, I know you got me something—I saw it under the tree a few days ago.” He said with a shrug. She smiled a bit.

“Still, you didn’t have to.” She murmured as she finished sorting out the presents. “But thank you.” She added after a moment, idly shifting her smaller stack of gifts. Sirius thought that it was odd—that she had so many fewer than him when she had debatably more friends than he did. He didn’t mention it, but was still curious. He saw something that made him grin.

“Wicked, Mom Potter sent along some of her cookies.” He said, grabbing the tin and opening it to reveal a massive pile of sweets and baked goods. “They’re so much better than the elves’ recipes.” Pippa raised an eyebrow.

“ _No way_ they’re better than Hogwarts cookies.” She countered, now looking into the tin interestedly.

“ _Way._ Try one.” He said and Pippa reached in and took one.

“This doesn’t have peanuts in it, does it?” Sirius shook his head.

“Nope. Allergic?”

“Nah—I just don’t like them.” She said before taking a bite of the cookie, looking skeptical as to their quality. Then her eyes widened in disbelief.

“Yeah. I know.” Sirius said, as she hastily swallowed.

“What the hell is in these things?” She asked, looking down at the half-eaten cookie. “Drugs?”

“I doubt it. I know you’ve never met Mom Potter, but she’s not the type.” Sirius chuckled, picking one up for himself. “Still, they’re the best.”

With that, Pippa and Sirius started going through their gifts, occasionally eating a cookie and tossing wadded up wrapping paper at each other.

Sirius ended up stumbling upon Pippa’s gift around the end of the unwrapping and unwrapped it quickly, wondering what it was. It was a picture—one he hadn’t seen in five years, when it was taken. Pippa had taken the Muggle photo of them just before they had left the platform for Christmas their First Year. They were both laughing and Pippa’s hair was in pigtail braids—puberty yet to strike either one of them (Sirius recalled that his voice had yet to drop at the time this was taken and Pippa still had a baby face).

“I always liked that picture, but I lost track of it for years. I found it in the bottom of my trunk about a month ago.” Pippa said, looking up from the book she was flipping through—something doubtlessly sent to her by one of her girlfriends. “I didn’t know what to get you, to be honest.” She sighed after a second.

“It’s great.” He said. “Thanks, Pippa.” He added and she smiled genuinely at him. She really did have a lovely smile. She picked up the gift he had given her and looked at the shape of it curiously, her fingers pulling on the wrapping paper. “Really, yours is just sad.” He added, nodding to the Gryffindor scarf in her hands.

“I know. I’ve been meaning to get a new one, but you should try getting my mother to go anywhere without her husband and getting him near anything magical is next-to-impossible—let alone somewhere like Diagon Alley.” She said. “This is brilliant. Thank you so much.” She added, setting it to the side in the warm common room. “I think something in that package wants your attention.” Pippa nodded to a vibrating package. Sirius read the tag.

“That’ll be Dad Potter.” He sighed. “You might want to take a step back…just in case. James gets it from somewhere.” Pippa scooted away a bit, taking any of her gifts that were flammable with her. Sirius unwrapped it cautiously and fireworks burst out of the box, making Pippa yelp in surprise as they all made spectacular bangs. Sirius looked in the box to see a stack of fireworks that hadn’t gone off.

“Yeah, I definitely see where James gets it.” Pippa admitted, peeking into the box as well. “Poor McGonagall.” She added with a grin, grabbing one and reading the label. “These are good—you can have a lot of fun with them.” Sirius put them down carefully so they didn’t blow and remove all of his hair in the process.

Pippa lounged around, flipping through the same book as Sirius unwrapped the rest of the gifts from the Potters (he realized that was why he had gotten so much more than Pippa—her family hadn’t sent anything to her for Christmas). She seemed unbothered by the fact that she had been ignored by her own mother on a holiday meant almost exclusively for family; well, she would have seemed unbothered if Sirius hadn’t caught her looking at a sweater he had received from Mrs. Potter almost longingly. She could disagree all she wanted, but she wanted a family that loved her and cared enough to send her even a card on Christmas.

“Fancy breakfast?” Sirius asked once they had managed to move all of the wrapping paper into a pile for the house elves’ convenience.

“I’m full thanks to your mom’s cookies, but I’ll head down with you if you want to eat.” Pippa said with a shrug, flicking her wand to send all of the presents she had received up to her room.

“Nah, I was just asking to be nice.” He said, making her smile. “What do you want to do on this brilliant Christmas day then?”

“Well, we could go outside or we could just hang about the castle.” She said. Sirius shrugged, glancing out the window that overlooked the grounds.

“Do you know how to ice skate?” He asked Pippa suddenly.

“I haven’t skated since Dad died. He used to take me out on the lake about a mile from our house when I was little, but after he died Mom couldn’t stand to go there and once she met Michael…she didn’t care what I wanted and then she moved us to the suburbs when they got married.” She said, studying her hands. “I always loved it—I mean I was awful because I was about three the last time I was on skates—but I loved it. Why?” She asked curiously. Sirius raised an eyebrow. “I don’t even have skates, Sirius.” She said, catching the look on his face.

“Come on, we can conjure some—I know how to skate pretty well. I can keep you up if you need the help.” Pippa bit her lip. “If you don’t want to, just say no.”

“Let’s do it.” She said and got up. “I’ll go bundle up.” She added and headed upstairs to her own room.

Sirius left as well and got dressed, preparing for the cold weather outside. It wasn’t snowing out, although there was definitely a healthy layer of the stuff on the ground. He walked down to see Pippa waiting in a coat and jeans, new scarf around her neck, gloves on her hands, long hair around her shoulders. She smiled.

“I fully expect you to help me up when I fall on my ass.” She said as they started walking outside towards the lake.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m sure you’re not nearly as bad as you think.”

“It’s been more than a decade since I last skated, Sirius.” She countered.

“It comes back, I’m sure.” He said with a shrug. She raised an eyebrow. “I’ll help you up when you bust your ass.” He added and she snorted. “Hey, you insisted.”

“I know, I know.” Pippa said as they walked out the doors of the castle and were slammed in the face with cold air. It was bitingly cold. Sirius bent his head to avoid the cold and Pippa buried her face into her scarf. They stopped by the edge of the lake and Sirius glanced at Pippa, who sat down and waved her wand. Her shoes shifted into ice skates. “Wicked.” She murmured, looking at her feet.

“Care to help?” Sirius asked, nodding down to his feet. She waved her wand and his shoes shifted too. “Right, are you ready?” She nodded and he pulled her up by her hands, helping her out onto the ice slowly. Sirius hadn’t skated in a couple years, but had no problem staying upright, even helping Pippa onto the ice. “Can I let go or are you going to fall?” He asked.

“You can let go.” She said and he released her hands slowly, letting her stand on her own. “I’d forgotten how different this is than walking like normal.” She mused as she slowly moved, clearly afraid to make any huge motions.

“That happens when you’re on ice.” Sirius said, skating in front of her—backwards so he could see her.

“How did you learn? I don’t think I ever asked.”

“Honestly?”

“No, I’d love to hear a lie.” Pippa said sarcastically. Sirius rolled his eyes and almost pushed her lightly, but held off—not wanting to toss her balance.

“My parents forced Regulus and I to learn—thought it would help with ballroom dancing.” He mumbled. Pippa raised an eyebrow.

“Ballroom dancing?”

“Ballroom dancing.”

“Are you being serious?”

“Tragically.” He sighed. She giggled a little. “Thanks.”

“The dancing isn’t funny—it’s really not.” She giggled. “The fact that _this_ was their solution to teaching you is. They could’ve just hired someone to teach you.” he shrugged. “The dancing really isn’t funny, Sirius. You should put it on your dating résumé or whatever—it can be really romantic…you know, if you’re that kind of girl.” She said as she focused on her feet, clearly hoping not to fall.

“Are you?” He asked before he thought about it. Pippa looked up from her feet and raised an eyebrow. “That kind of girl, I mean.” Her cheeks turned pink and she cleared her throat.

“I don’t know.” She murmured, staring at him. “I haven’t had a chance to find out, you see.” Sirius opened his mouth to respond, so perhaps it was actually a stroke of luck that Pippa took that exact moment to fall flat on her ass with a shrill squeal. Once she realized she was on the ice, she looked scandalized. The look on her face sent Sirius into a fit of laughter as she huffed and tried to get up.

“Come on, Pip.” He said and pulled her up by her hands gently. “Do you want me to let go?”

“Maybe not.” She said quietly, watching her feet. “I don’t fancy another bruise to match that one and I’m clearly just as bad at skating as I was when I was three.” Sirius chuckled a little, but let it go pretty quickly, not having a problem holding her to keep her upright. She was warm and Sirius quite enjoyed her company—especially the kind that involved touching in some way (which this did). “You know you shouldn’t really be good at everything—it’s just not fair to the rest of us.” She said as he helped her around the lake. Sirius snorted.

“Says the girl who’s probably the best student in the school.” She shrugged.

“I bust my ass for my grades, thank you very much.” She said as her ankles wobbled dangerously. Sirius shifted his hands from her hands to her waist as her eyes widened in the realization that she was about a second away from falling. He steadied her at the last minute as her hands went out to grab his shoulders.

“Easy, Pip. Straighten your ankles out.” She stopped wobbling after a minute although she looked deeply embarrassed by the fact she had almost hit the ground again. “There you go.” She nodded a bit, but didn’t let go of his shoulders. Sirius couldn’t find it within himself to let go of her waist either, so they just stood there, slowly moving across the ice by virtue of standing still, staring at each other. Merlin, she was pretty; Pippa had always been so pretty and she was so close now. He could have sworn that her eyelids fluttered when he shifted his hold on her.

“Thatcher! Black!” Neither of them looked up at McGonagall’s voice, still staring at each other. “Get off the ice _now_!”

“Sorry, Professor!” Pippa shouted, breaking eye contact. Sirius skated over to the edge of the ice, bringing Pippa with him gently. “He talked me into it, really.” She added as she shifted their shoes back to normal.

“Did not. You agreed.” Sirius protested. McGonagall didn’t seem to believe him, but didn’t comment one way or the other.

“I expect you two to adhere to the school rules for the rest of the holiday—including staying off the ice. We don’t know how deeply it’s frozen and I don’t think either of you would fancy taking a dip.” She said and walked off.

“Didn’t think that bit through.” Sirius admitted to Pippa as they stood there, watching McGonagall walk off.

“Yeah, me either. Well, it was fun while it lasted, hm?” She asked him, adjusting her scarf around her neck. “Come on, I’m sure there’s plenty of adventures to be had in the castle—where my fingers won’t fall off.” She added with a grin as she started to walk up to the castle. Sirius, for his part, was still staring at her. She turned around for a moment and looked at him curiously. “Coming?” He nodded and followed her up to the castle, unable to stop himself from thinking that he should have kissed her.

* * *

“You _so_ fancy her.” James observed as they walked up to the tower after the welcome-back feast the night before classes resumed. Sirius raised an eyebrow, not bothering to ask whom James was talking about. “You do. Don’t deny it.”

“James, I’m really not in the mood to…”

“I don’t bloody care. I see how you look at her, how you treat her. You have a crush.” He said smugly. Sirius glanced up and hit James in the stomach roughly.

“Will you shut it?” He hissed just as Pippa and her girlfriends walked past them. She smiled at him a little and waved, turning quickly to do so. He smiled back reflexively and tried really hard not to look at how her skirt revealed a bit more of her legs when she twirled back around to face forward.

“Oh yeah, everything’s _totally_ platonic.” Moony said skeptically. “Ask her out if you like her. I think you’d be nice together.” He added thoughtfully.

“She might say no.” Sirius pointed out. James snorted at that.

“Like any girl has ever said no to you before?” He asked. Sirius shrugged.

“She’s not _Tiffany_ , James. She actually has standards and she might actually say no.” He said with a shrug. “Besides, I’m shit first-boyfriend material anyways.”

“Whatever you say, mate. I think you should go for it though—woo the lady and all that.” Prongs said with a shrug. “Just think of it this way: you can’t have worse luck than I have.” He added, looking at where Evans was walking alongside Pippa ahead of them.

“He’s not wrong.” Peter piped up. “Maybe you should think of a way to impress her—she might fancy you more if she knows you’re actually trying.”

“Actually try at what?” Sirius asked. “Work harder in school? I can’t just show her my grades.”

“No, but that’s a really good idea, Pete—and there is something everyone _can_ see.” James said. “Quidditch.”

“You’re just trying to get me to work harder in practice.”

“Actually, that’s not a bad idea.” Remus said. “I overhear girls talking about how dreamy Quidditch players are all the time thanks to Moony’s ears. Pair it with doing something nice for her occasionally and you might actually have a chance.”

“See? Foolproof plan!” James said cheerily. “Although I can’t think of anything in terms of ‘something nice’—then again, you know her loads better than we do.” He added as they entered the common room. “Ah, it’s good to be back.” Sirius remembered that his mates hadn’t been here since last term. It was quite the odd feeling for some reason. “Try and think of something nice to do for her—but don’t go overboard. No flowers.”


	8. Sexy Book Conversations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I came across a Tumblr post ages ago that was something along the lines of 'if you don't think the Marauders were feminists fight me' and I took inspiration from that because I thought the concept struck me as really unique (tragically I don't remember the source, so thank you, if it was you). Also, as Rowena Ravenclaw's blood, I thought it was high time we saw some of Pippa's thirst for knowledge and decided to pick a topic I'm relatively well-versed in (second-wave feminism).

* * *

“By next class, I want a roll and a half of parchment on the proper arm movements and incantations regarding the five most common vanishing spells, as that is what we will be beginning. That’s all.” McGonagall announced to the groans of her classroom. Back for two days and already slammed with homework. Pippa jotted it down in her planner and started to pack her bag up, chatting to Lily who was sitting beside her.

“Get a start on the essay tonight?” Pippa asked. Lily shook her head.

“Can’t. Rounds until midnight.” She said, making a face. Pippa scrunched her nose as well. That was the worst.

“Well, scratch that. Tomorrow during our free period instead? I have rounds tomorrow night.” Pippa said. Lily nodded.

“Course. We’ll wrangle up Marlene—and maybe Mare too—and knock it out.” Lily said as they started to leave for their next classes. “Are you sure you’ll be okay walking to Ancient Runes on your own, Pip?” The redhead asked as they paused in the doorway. Pippa smiled despite the horrible twisting sensation in her stomach. She had yet to be really alone in somewhere public since…the incident. One of her friends was usually within arm’s reach or it was holiday.

“I’ll be fine Lily.” Pippa said. “I’m a big girl—besides, I have my wand arm back.” She said. “Go on, can’t be late to Arithmancy over silly me.” Lily smiled a bit and waved, heading down towards the grounds as Pippa turned towards the mostly-deserted part of the castle Ancient Runes was housed in.

Despite her reassuring Lily that she’d be fine, Pippa caught herself walking quickly more than once and found that once she was alone in a corridor, her heart started to race. She couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching her as she went to class, head down.

Halfway there, she literally ran right into someone because she was looking down, dropping her Ancient Runes book onto the ground.

“I’m really sorry.” Pippa said, bending down to pick the book up. “That was totally my fault. I just wasn’t looking at where I was going.” She added before looking up at the poor soul she had walked into. Pippa felt a vice clamp down around her stomach and lungs.

“I’m surprised to see you walking around an empty part of the castle completely alone so soon, Thatcher. It’s either extremely brave or extremely stupid.” Regulus Black. Pippa felt herself take a step back and hold her book to her chest.

“How—?”

“Word travels fast. It travels even faster in certain circles. I have to know whether or not they really did you in—see, I haven’t seen Mulciber, Avery, or Dolohov without their parents right there and while I’m sure our fathers would all love to hear what they did to my brother’s slut, even _they_ won’t get into the raunchy details in front of their mothers. Such things aren’t meant for ladies’ ears or eyes. That’s why they tried to use _you_ , I suppose—a Mudblood whoring herself to a blood-traitor; certainly not a lady, are you?”

Pippa took another step back and found that she had apparently lost her voice, unable to think up a clever retort or anything to say at all. She didn’t feel nearly as in-control as she had the last time she had been caught alone by a Slytherin—or anyone else for that matter.

“So, did they get the chance to fuck you bloody like they wanted to or not?” Regulus asked examining her. Pippa shook her head a little, deciding not to talk—she was rather sure that her voice would come out as some stupid and useless whimper right now anyways. “Shame. I promised my brother that I’d return you to him in pieces so I could watch him try and put you back together; they would have done so much of the legwork for me if they had.” Pippa’s shock clearly showed on her face because Regulus raised an eyebrow. “Something to say, Thatcher?”

“I—I—um” She stammered, feeling quite pathetic and wondering what was happening to her. This had never happened to her before. Ever. “I don’t…what do you want?” She said quietly, unable to meet his eyes. Hell, she was barely able to _breathe_ right now.

“Nothing much; just sounded fun to come down here and see if you were any fun to play with—you are, in case you’re wondering.” He said. “I’ll see you around, Thatcher.” Regulus added before walking off. “Enjoy Ancient Runes!” He called over his shoulder. He vanished around a corner and Pippa felt a lone tear drip down her cheek. No, it was fine—Regulus was all talk. He wasn’t going to do a thing to her.

Pippa reassured herself with that (questionable) thought and headed to Ancient Runes, barely getting there in time for class to start.

It was a double period, something Pippa was endlessly grateful for, as she didn’t fancy ever leaving this classroom again. However, class couldn’t last forever and soon she was dismissed along with the rest of her classmates.

Pippa walked as quickly as she could out of class and headed towards the rest of the castle.

“Hey.” Someone said to her right, making her gasp and drop her book in the now abandoned corridor. She looked over to see Sirius and (thankfully) not his brother. “How was class?” Without warning, Pippa completely disintegrated into tears, sitting on the ground. “Was it really that bad? Did you get a ‘T’ on something? I got one on an essay in History of Magic once and I promise the world keeps spinning.” She shook her head before wiping her nose with the back of her hand, still crying. He sat down beside her. “If it wasn’t a grade…”

“I ran into your brother on my way to class.” She mumbled, wiping her eyes. Sirius looked taken aback. “He was less than friendly.”

 _“Regulus?”_ He asked. “What did he do?”

“He…he said it was either brave or stupid to be alone in the castle after what happened.” She mumbled. Sirius sighed.

“I suppose I shouldn’t be this surprised that he knows. Things like that tend not to stay hidden in our families.” He admitted slowly.

“That’s what he said. He asked me if they had actually gotten the chance to do me in.” She said, continuing to sniff. “It was like I couldn’t talk. I’ve never felt like that before. So…so _scared_.” She said, starting to feel the tears on her cheeks. “All I could do was try not to cry. I tried to say something— _anything_ —and I just stuttered like some pathetic idiot.”

“You’re not pathetic or an idiot, Pippa. You underwent something awful and there’s no shame in being afraid of a repeat experience.” Sirius said patiently. “Other than his burning desire for the truth, what did Regulus say he wanted?”

“He wanted to know if they’d gotten to fuck me bloody like they’d wanted to. I just kind of shook my head and he said that it was a shame—that they would have saved him a lot of work if they had.” She said quietly. “He said he’d promised you to give me back to you in pieces. Why?” She whispered.

“After you caught him and Tiffany shagging—he pulled me aside in the toilets and said something to that end. I tried to tell you that he was pissed without having to scare you with that. So I just told you that he wanted revenge—I didn’t think he’d ever do anything anyways. That was clearly my mistake.” Sirius said, not meeting her eye. “I’m sorry.” Pippa nodded a little.

“He kept calling me your slut and your whore.” She mumbled. “Why would he think that? It would be once thing if we were involved, but we’re not.” Sirius looked very surprised indeed by that.

“I don’t know. Maybe because I happened to be the one to find you that night? I haven’t been back to my parents’ house since the middle of last summer and it’s been even longer since I’ve said more than a sentence to Regulus. I really don’t know, Pippa. I’d tell you if I did.” Pippa nodded a little, believing him. “Regardless of what you are or aren’t to me, you’re not that, Pip.” She smiled a bit at him.

“No one’s actually ever called me a Mudblood to my face before, you know.” She said. “I didn’t think it would hurt as much as it did—especially considering I’m not really Muggleborn.” Sirius nodded a bit.

“It’s a foul word.” He said quietly. “It was always a huge bone of contention with my parents. Mother never liked the term Muggleborn—thought it was…oh, I think she said it was a bit like ‘putting makeup on a pig’.” Pippa looked over at him, eyes widening. He never spoke about his parents—his mother in particular.

“He called you a blood-traitor.” Pippa said, looking down at her hands.

“Did he? Huh.” Sirius said, sounding surprised, but not overly so.

“I’m sorry.” She said quietly, not knowing what to say.

“For what? I don’t particularly care if they like me—actually I’ve always found myself reconsidering my actions when my family approves of them and on second glance they usually end up being questionable decisions at best.” He said. “There’s nothing to be sorry for.”

“They’re still your family. I’m sorry you don’t see eye-to-eye with them—rather, _they_ don’t see eye-to-eye with _you_.” She said. “You have a better set of ethics and morals than they do apparently.”

“That’s not saying a ton, but thanks. Come on, don’t you have somewhere to be? Class or what?” He asked, giving her and hand up. Pippa shook her head after gratefully accepting the hand.

“No, I was just going to head to the library and get started on some of our classwork—I have rounds tomorrow night and need to get everything done before then.” She said. “Wait, why are you over here at all?” Pippa added, realizing that Sirius had no viable reason to be at this end of the castle. “Didn’t you _just_ have Muggle Studies?”

“Sure, but I wanted to take a walk after and I ended up nearby not long before your class ended so I thought I’d swing by and say hi.” He said with a shrug, brushing it off. He picked up her Ancient Runes book from where she had dropped it and held it out to her. “Come on—let’s get out of this part of the castle.” Pippa took it and smiled a bit.

“Thanks. Yeah, I’ve never fancied it over here myself, to be honest.” Pippa admitted as they started to walk towards more populated parts of the castle. “I don’t think anyone does really.”

Sirius and Pippa chatted for a little while until they got to the fourth floor—near the turn off to the library. Pippa adjusted her book in her arms and smiled a bit.

“This is me. Thanks for swinging by after Muggle Studies. It was nice.” _It was_ nice? _Come on, Pippa—you can do better than that._ “To talk to you. It was nice to talk to you.” She added, hoping to sound less like an idiot girl with a crush. It didn’t work that well. Pippa decided to shut her mouth before she made an even bigger idiot out of herself.

“Yeah, it’s been a bit weird—it not just being the two of us here, I mean.” Sirius said. Pippa nodded.

“Yeah, a bit. Thanks again for walking me here.” _Oh my God he didn’t walk here for_ you _—he happened to be coming this way; stop acting like such an idiot._

“No problem—I was heading this way anyways.” _See? What a fucking moron._ “I need to check a book out actually.” Pippa blinked in surprise. “I was actually wondering…well, I’ll just go find it myself…I reckon Pince will threaten me with bodily harm if she sees me in here actually looking at books so I should just get in and out as quickly as possible.” He trailed off, making Pippa smile a bit. Damn, he was cute. _Wait, stop—you’re staring like a weirdo._

“What are you looking for?” She asked. “I can help you find it—I don’t really have anything that can’t wait five minutes.” _…And now you look desperate. Great job._ “Unless you don’t want me to—actually, it’s probably better that way; I really _do_ have a lot to do. I’m going to go find a table.”

“Pippa, are you okay?”

“See you around, Sirius.” She said and walked off, trying to hide the blush and track down a table to set her things down at.

* * *

Sirius watched Pippa set her things down at a table, completely befuddled by what had just happened. She had been obviously distraught by running into his brother (understandable) and then they had a pleasant walk down here and then she had started acting all weird—jumpy and uncomfortable. Strange.

Sirius brushed it off and wandered the shelves for a book he could pretend to care about. He hadn’t needed a book—he had ‘wandered’ to Pippa’s classroom conveniently at the time she was leaving—something that required running and several secret passages—and was ‘coincidentally’ heading to the same place she was. He was legitimately surprised he had managed to slip that by her, as Pippa was brilliant at catching his lies, but she hadn’t mentioned that one.

Sirius decided that he might as well do his own work and keep an eye on her while she worked—as Regulus was still in the back of his mind—and took a seat at a table at the right angle he could see her, but so that she’d have to actively turn all the way around to see him. _Jesus, you’re such a creep._

Sirius made some headway in his Transfiguration essay before Pippa got up and left about three hours later. He started to pack his things up as well and paused as he walked by her table. She had left a book under her table—something he was taken aback by. She must have missed it falling out of her bag.

Sirius picked it up and glanced at the cover and raised an eyebrow. _The Second Sex._ It was written by some bloke named Simon. Sirius read the blurb about the author and raised an eyebrow. A woman—named _Simon_ —wrote it? He rechecked the author’s name. Simone, not Simon. Simone de Beauvoir. That made more sense. He read the summary on the back, wondering what exactly Pippa was reading in her free time—as this certainly wasn’t for school. Pippa was reading feminist theory for fun? If someone asked Sirius to define feminism he would have been stumped, so he shrugged it off and decided he’d give it back to her and say that he accidentally picked it up outside Ancient Runes or something.

Pippa was searching through her bag for her book near the fireplace that night, unable to find it. Shit. She must have left it somewhere, most likely the library. Maybe someone had turned it in to Madam Pince?

“Hey, Pippa.” Pippa looked up to see Sirius walking towards her. She smiled and continued to look through her bag. She really wanted that damn book back. “I meant to tell you at dinner, but I completely forgot—I accidentally picked this up when I picked up your Ancient Runes book. I think it got shuffled in with my stuff.” He said and handed her—miracle of all miracles—her book.

“Thank you so much. I’ve been losing my mind trying to find it.” She said, dropping her bag to the floor. “That would definitely explain why I couldn’t find it.”

“Yeah, I somehow ended up with it.” Sirius said. “Do you mind me asking what it’s about? I read the back, but it was…vague.”

“It’s about the cultural inequality of the sexes. De Beauvoir argues that because man represents all of humanity, woman is categorized as ‘other’ and because of that, we cannot flourish in our culture—because it’s been systematically created to suppress women.” Sirius raised an eyebrow skeptically. “I know it sounds like I’m going to go start burning my bras, but it’s really interesting. Besides, de Beauvoir can explain feminism and female oppression much better than I can—even in translation. She’s a brilliant writer and I’d love to read her original text—however I don’t know French.” Sirius shrugged.

“French is overrated.” He said. “You don’t even say half the letters.”

“You know French?”

“Sort of. I doubt I know enough to read anything longer than a paragraph or more complicated than something meant for a nine-year-old though.” He said. Pippa was surprised by that, but didn’t comment. “Why are you reading it for fun?”

“Because I think it’s interesting. I find other people’s thoughts interesting.” She said simply, like that was the most obvious thing in the world. “It’s not for everyone, but I like it.” Sirius raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Nothing. I’ve never found other people’s thoughts very interesting—at least not interesting enough to read an entire book of them.” He said. Pippa shrugged.

“Like I said: not for everyone. Besides, I can’t say I’m surprised—men usually don’t care for books that point out their privilege—makes them feel attacked or something, I don’t know.” Pippa said. “Either way, thanks for returning it to me.”

“Okay, I could totally read that thing without feeling attacked.” Sirius said, suddenly feeling very judged. “I’ve survived worse than a bloody book.”

“Words are the most dangerous things in the world—don’t underestimate a book full of them, Sirius.” Pippa said, very serious.

“Pretty sure Death Eaters are more dangerous, Pip.”

“But what do they support? What called them to action? _Words._ Words were used to persuade them to join the cause.” Pippa countered. “There wouldn’t be Death Eaters if there weren’t words for them to believe in.” Sirius blinked a couple times silently. Well, she had a point. “Still think you’ve survived worse things?”

“I could totally read that and not be offended.” Pippa raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah? Do it then. I’ve read it loads of times, so go ahead.” She said and handed the book to him. He stared at it in her hand before taking it. “Let me know what you think when you return it to me.” She added and picked her bag up before heading upstairs.

“What’s that?” Remus asked as all four blokes were spread out and trying to get some of their work done in the dorm. Sirius looked up to see him pointing to the book Pippa had given him.

“Hm? Oh, it’s some book I saw Pippa reading in the library. We ended up talking about it and she made some comment that most men couldn’t read it without getting offended or something. I—obviously—told her that men could totally not feel attacked by a book and she told me to put my money where my mouth is.” Sirius said absently, barely looking up from my essay.

“Are you going to read it?” James asked.

“Nah, I’ll just tell her I did.” Remus hit him in the head with a pillow. “Ow!”

“Are you _stupid_?” He asked incredulously. “Read it! Do you know how sexy smart women find smart men? That book is your ticket to a date so bloody well read it so you can have a coherent discussion about it with her.” Remus said.

“He’s right, mate.” James said.

“Yeah, as much as I agree with trying to get out of reading, Moony’s got a point.” Pete said. “Talk about _impressing_ her—conversations about books are right up her alley. What’s the book called?” Sirius summoned it from his bag.

“ _The Second Sex_. She said that it’s feminist theory or something.” Sirius said, looking at the book. “Mentioned that it’s translated out of French too.”

“Damn that’s a long book.” James said. “Do you think Lily would think it was hot if I read it too?”

“Oi, get your own sexy book conversations.” Sirius said. “Shit, this thing’s like over a thousand pages long.” He checked the last page for a number. “Well, like 960, but still.”

“Get reading, mate.” Remus said and went back to his Potions essay. Sirius rolled his eyes, but started to read as everyone else went back to their schoolwork.

He skipped the introduction and translator’s note and started at the first chapter—Biological Data.

_Woman? Very simple, say those who like simple answers: She is a womb, an ovary; she is a female: this word is enough to define her. From a man’s mouth, the epithet “female”—_

“Hey, Moony?” Sirius asked suddenly. Remus looked up. “What does the word ‘epithet’ mean?”

“It’s just another word for name or title or something like that.” Sirius nodded and went back to reading.

_—sounds like an insult; but he, not ashamed of his animality, is proud to hear: “He’s a male!”_

“Hey Moony?” Sirius asked a couple minutes later. Remus looked up again. “What does ‘pejorative’ mean?”

“It’s another way of saying negative or scornful.”

“M’kay.”

“Hey Moony?” Remus groaned and James snickered. “What does ‘parthenogenesis’ mean?” Remus chucked a dictionary at his head without a word. “Shit, if you don’t know, just say so.”

“I’m not a walking dictionary, Sirius—now would be a good time to learn how to use a paper one though.” Remus said before returning to his essay.

It was only 30 pages in that Sirius saw the first things Pippa had underlined.

First: _Women—except in certain abstract gatherings such as conferences—do not use “we”; men say “women,” and women adopt this word to refer to themselves; but they do not posit themselves authentically as Subjects._ (Pippa had written ‘wow’ in the margin nearby and had caused Sirius to look up the word ‘posit’)

Second: _No one is more arrogant toward women, more aggressive or more disdainful, than a man anxious about his own virility._

Third: _We will not let ourselves be intimidated by the number and violence of attacks against women; nor be fooled by the self-serving praise showered on the “real woman”; nor be won over by men’s enthusiasm for her destiny, a destiny they would not for the world want to share._

Three hours later, Sirius was—somehow—over 100 pages into the book and found the fourth line that Pippa had underlined.

_If truth be told, one is not born, but becomes, a genius; and the feminine condition has, until now, rendered this becoming impossible._

Sirius stared at the words and tried to think of why this would resonate so strongly with Pippa—Simone had a way with words, there was no doubt about that, but this sentence had stood out to her.

“Sirius. Padfoot, wake up—we have class.” Sirius grunted and opened his eyes to see James shaking him awake. “Morning, Gorgeous.”

“Fuck off, Prongs.” He mumbled. “When did I fall asleep last night?” He asked, feeling rather like he’d only slept about two hours.

“Not sure. You went to bed way after any of us.” Remus said. “Good book?” He added, nodding to where Sirius had passed out with Pippa’s book on his stomach, holding the page.

“Informative.” He yawned, marking the page and closing it, getting up to head for the shower.

* * *

Pippa was leaving Ancient Runes the Friday after classes resumed and heard her name being called.

“Hey.” She said to Sirius with a smile. “How was Muggle Studies?”

“Boring. All lecture today.” Pippa wrinkled her nose. ‘Boring’ was right. “Ancient Runes?”

“Not bad. Just a lot of practice translations to prepare for OWLs.” She said. “Are you done for today?”

“Yeah, you?” Pippa nodded.

“Yeah, I’m heading to the library to meet Lily.” She said. “What’re you doing on this end of the castle?”

“I wanted to give this back to you.” He handed her the book she had loaned him three days ago.

“Didn’t want to read it?” She asked, amused yet unsurprised.

“No, just finished.” Pippa felt her mouth fall open.

“I— _seriously_?”

“Uh, yeah.” He said like he wasn’t sure why she was staring at him so oddly.

“Wow, uh what’d you think?” She asked as they walked. “Honestly—don’t just bullshit me.” Pippa added after a second.

“She knows how to write.” Pippa nodded. “She talked about a lot of things I’d never thought about before. I kind of thought I’d hate every word of it, but it was actually really good.” Pippa blinked in surprise.

“I—you really think so?” She asked, wondering if Sirius was going to have to pick her up off the ground soon.

“Yeah, I never really thought much about what makes a woman before. It was interesting to think about whether or not it was genetics or something else.” He said with a shrug. Pippa raised an eyebrow. “I have a question though.”

“I’d be shocked if you didn’t.” She joked. “It’s a tough read. I’ll try to answer, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to.”

“It’s about something you underlined.” She nodded, indicating for him to go on. “It was like 100 pages in maybe—something about how being a woman makes being a genius impossible?” Pippa nodded, knowing what he was talking about.

“What about it?”

“Just…why does that make it impossible?” Pippa thought for a second.

“Well, my interpretation of it is that girls are taught from birth that being smart is not the most important thing in the world and what’s considered ‘smart’ is warped around female dominated fields, especially in the Muggle world.” She said. “Like, what’s one of the smartest professions in your opinion?”

“Healers, I reckon—they’re brilliant.” Pippa nodded.

“That’s a male-dominated field. What I got from de Beauvoir’s writing is that if suddenly all women became Healers, it wouldn’t be considered a ‘smart’ job anymore—it’d be considered soft and mundane because it’s a job performed by women. Nursing is a good example of something difficult—extremely so—preformed by woman and disregarded.” Pippa said thoughtfully. “The idea is that being a woman is mutually exclusive with being a genius because if women do it than it isn’t actually very difficult at all—especially back when de Beauvoir wrote _The Second Sex_ , back in ’46, I think.” Sirius nodded.

“Why did it resonate with you? There had to be a reason that you underlined that and not something else.”

“Sirius, think about me—who I am—who my family is—and ask that question again.” Pippa said softly. He paused and then nodded.

“Course—can’t believe I didn’t see that on my own.” He said. “Still, the book was really interesting.”

“I can’t believe you actually got through it—let alone liked it.” She said. “If you want to read more about the same stuff—not by de Beauvoir though—I have loads more.”

“Might take you up on that. Now, seeing that you had a ton underlined, I have to ask what your favorite part was.” Sirius said. Pippa thought about it and flipped through the book in her hands.

“There’s a part right near the end…hold on.” Pippa said and found the part. “It’s where she writes that ‘ _The girl today can certainly go out alone, stroll in the Tuileries; but I have already said how hostile the street is: eyes everywhere, hands waiting; if she wanders absentmindedly, her thoughts elsewhere, if she lights a cigarette in a café, if she goes to the cinema alone, an unpleasant incident can quickly occur; she must inspire respect by the way she dresses and behaves: this concern rivets her to the ground and to self. “Her wings are clipped.” At eighteen, T. E. Lawrence went on a grand tour through France by bicycle; a young girl would never be permitted to take on such an adventure: still less would it be possible for her to take off on foot for a half-desert and dangerous country as Lawrence did. Yet such experiences have an inestimable impact’_.” Pippa read from the book as they walked, keeping an eye on where they were going.

“Why that? It’s pretty, but why that?”

“It…I don’t know, I just felt so…so _cheated_ , realizing that I’d been deprived from so much because I’m a woman—and that there are things I’ll never be able to do because of that.” Pippa said. “I read this for the first time a few years ago and when I got to that part, I got in the shower and cried. It was like I was grieving for a life I’d never had—and one I never _will_ have; I’d never felt anything like that before and I haven't since, really.”

“Sad to say that I didn’t cry when I read it.” Sirius said and Pippa smiled a bit.

“I’m still pleasantly surprised you don’t think I’m a man-hating lunatic now.” She said with a shrug.

“I need to head to Quidditch practice, but I might take you up on the offer about other books.” Sirius said as they approached the library and Pippa smiled.

“Enjoy practice. By the way, I haven’t gotten your favorite part yet.” She asked as he walked back towards the Quidditch pitch. Sirius turned and grinned.

“I’ll tell you next time you let me borrow a book.” He said and walked off. Pippa watched him leave, wondering what had just happened.

It wasn’t until she had sat down with Lily at a table that she realized that Sirius had walked from one end of the castle to the other before heading back the way they had come to head out to Quidditch practice for no reason but to chat about a book that she had loaned him.

It wasn’t until she was wrapping up her Arithmancy practice sets that she realized that he had probably done it to keep Regulus—and the rest of Slytherin—away as she walked through a deserted part of the castle.

“Pippa?” Lily asked. Pippa looked up at her and smiled. “Did you hear me?”

“Sorry, I spaced out—what’d you say?”

“I just asked if you knew how to go about 17b. I can’t quite figure out how to get the 3x to carry over to the left side of the equation.” Lily said, looking down at her own paper. Pippa looked down at hers and nodded before launching into an explanation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. Simone de Beauvoir is a real person, The Second Sex is a real book, and those are very real quotes from the book


	9. Lucky

“So, how’d it go?” James asked Sirius as he reached the Quidditch pitch. Remus and Peter were also there—curious as to how the supposedly ‘sexy’ book conversation went.

“Okay, I think. I gave her the book back and we talked.”

“Did you ask her questions?” Remus asked, following James and Sirius into the locker room to continue the conversation.

“Yeah, I asked her to explain a couple things in the book, why she had circled something, and a couple other things.” Sirius said as he changed into his practice shirt.

“Did you ask her about her favorite part?” James asked. “We told you to ask her about her favorite part, mate.”

“Yeah, I asked her about her favorite part and she told me. We had a nice discussion about it as I walked her to the library from Ancient Runes.” Sirius said. Remus grinned.

“Long walk—that means it was a long chat.”

“You walked her from her class to the library—that’s definitely doing something nice for her.” Peter said. “I heard her telling Lily yesterday how much she hates going to and from Ancient Runes because it’s so creepy over in that part of the castle. I bet she appreciated you walking her.” The other two hummed in agreement. “Anything else?”

“Well, she offered to let me read other books if I wanted them and then we got to the library.”

“Did you take her up on it?” Remus said.

“I said I’d let her know.”

“Do it!” James practically shouted. “It’s bloody perfect! She gives you a book, you read it and when you give it back to her—probably outside Runes again, tell her that you’d rather talk about it over a butterbeer in Hogsmeade with her so you can talk about it in more detail or whatever.” Remus and Peter both made sounds of agreement.

“Hogsmeade is a week from tomorrow, so if you catch her tonight, it’ll be perfect timing if you give it back to her late next week and ask her out for the trip.” Remus agreed.

“You’ve just got to kick ass in tomorrow’s match against Slytherin to seal the deal.” James added.

“Yeah, a bloke who reads her books and kicks ass on the Pitch is every girl’s dream.” Peter agreed. “This one’s pretty much in the bag, mate.”

“Oi, she’s not a Quaffle, Peter. She’s a person and she might very well say no.” Sirius said, less than pleased with his word choice. “Now, if you two don’t mind—James and I have to practice so we don’t get murdered tomorrow.”

“We’ll ask Pippa and her friends if they’re coming to the match tomorrow—we’ll invite them to sit with us.” Remus said and left with Peter.

“Really though—they’re right. Ask her out and she’ll say yes; I’d bet my broom on it.” James said.

That night after practice, James nudged Sirius towards Pippa, who was reading alone near the fireplace in the common room. She smiled at him when he approached her.

“Hey. How was practice?” She asked. “Everything looking good for the game tomorrow?” He nodded.

“Definitely. Slytherin doesn’t stand a chance.” He said, sitting down next to her when she obviously moved her feet so there would be room on the sofa.

“Good. Always nice to see a Gryffindor win.” She said, closing her book.

“You’re going to the game?” He asked, feeling irrationally nervous.

“Yeah. Lily, Marlene, and I usually just go to appease Mary—who’s obviously a huge fan—but Remus and Peter asked us to sit with them for the game, so it’ll be fun this time, I suppose. Shame you have to play—I bet you’d be fun in the stands.” She said with a smile. “Still, it’s probably better for Gryffindor that you’re on the Pitch protecting the hoops.”

“Obviously we wouldn’t stand a chance without my phenomenal keeping skills.” He said and she smiled a bit. “Hey, I was wondering if you had another book I can borrow—I can only read Charms theory for so long before my eyes start to bleed.” He added the joke at the end to try and sound smooth and clever, although Sirius really just felt like an idiot. Pippa smiled and nodded, clearly thinking for a second before waving her wand. A book zoomed into her hand from up her staircase.

“This is a good place to start and it was written in English originally, so it’s a relatively easy read; you might need a dictionary for a couple words, but it’s a cake walk comparatively.” She added, handing him the book.

“Yeah, Remus got so sick of me asking him what words meant that he just threw a dictionary at my head.” _And now you sound like a dumbass that doesn’t know English and needs a dictionary for everything._ Still, Pippa laughed a bit.

“I was the same with de Beauvoir—this is easier, I promise; you just caught me reading at my most abstract and, ah, _extreme_ in terms of content. This is more recent and should be much more accessible.” She said.

“Thanks, Pip. I’ll see you at the game tomorrow, yeah?” She smiled.

“Course. Have a good night, Sirius.” She said and went back to her book as Sirius got up and headed upstairs, to where his mates were waiting.

* * *

“Hey, Pippa?” Sirius mumbled. For some reason when he opened his eyes, she was the first thing that really came into focus—the thing he grounded the rest of his surroundings around. Pippa looked up from where she was reading in a nearby chair. Everyone looked up from his or her various activities around his hospital bed and sighed with relief. James, Remus, Peter, Evans, Macdonald, and McKinnon were all there along with Pippa.

“Nice of you to wake up.” Pippa said with a smile. “How do you feel? That looked like it hurt.” She added with a small wince, rubbing her own ribs absently.

“Brilliant. Just peachy.” He said, feeling the pain start to set in. “What happened?” They all exchanged looks, clearly debating who wanted to tell him. Remus cleared his throat.

“Well, You were kind of hit with a bludger.”

“Yeah, I noticed that bit.” Sirius said sarcastically. “No, the game—who won?” They all exchanged looks. “I don’t even remember the Quaffle being released, but I’m assuming _someone_ won? Who?” They all exchanged looks.

“I think we’re going to head out—let you boys talk about this.” Pippa said and the other three girls nodded in agreement. “Feel better, Sirius and…I’m really sorry.” She added quietly before all four girls left. Sirius was completely befuddled by that bit and looked over at his mates for clarification.

“What happened?” He asked. “Why is she apologizing?”

“Well, no one won the game.” James said. “You were injured before it even started so we convinced Hooch that we needed to reschedule. Dumbledore agreed given the…nature of your injury.”

“A hit to the ribs isn’t game-cancel-worthy, Prongs. What aren’t you telling me?” Sirius asked.

“I think Moony and Wormtail would be best suited to explain—I was on the other side of the Pitch.” James said and nodded to their mates. Peter motioned for Remus to talk.

“Well, you were over by us and the girls and you were chatting with me and…Regulus kind of grabbed a bat and hit a bludger our way—towards Pippa, really. You didn’t notice or something, but you moved in front of her at the last minute and took the bludger to your ribs.” Remus said slowly.

“No one’s quite sure how Slytherin got their hands on a bludger at all—Dumbledore was furious.” Peter added. “Everyone was so shocked that no one managed to stop your fall before you hit the ground.”

“You’re lucky nothing was punctured.” James added. “And that the fall didn’t kill you and that the bludger didn’t just hit you right in the head.”

“I think he gets it, James.” Remus said dryly. “He’s got a point though.” He added on after a second. “This could have been much worse than it was. It could have hit your head or Pippa’s head just as easy as it hit your ribs.”

“Can someone get Pomfrey? My ribs are killing me and she might be nice enough to give me some of the good stuff.” He said.

* * *

“Look who’s awake again.” Sirius looked around to see James, Remus, and Peter sitting beside his bed in the middle of the night.

“What time is it?” Sirius mumbled at James, who he was closest to.

“About one in the morning. How’re you feeling? You were in some decent pain when you woke up last.” James said.

“Not awful. Not great, but not terrible.” Sirius said. “Why are you all here?”

“Well, Remus thinks you took that bludger on purpose and I think it was just a huge stroke of luck that no one died.” Peter said. “We wanted to know what happened and figured it’d be easiest just to ask.”

“I think you were going to chat Pippa up and happened to be hit because you were trying to hit on her.” James added.

“I don’t even remember getting in the air, guys. I have no idea what I was doing.” Sirius sighed. “I’d tell you if I remembered, but I don’t.”

“Hey, do you know why Regulus would have grabbed a bludger and tried to hit Pippa with it in the first place?” Remus asked. “I would’ve thought he would have gone after one of our more offensive house members. She’s not exactly one for enemies or anything; most people like her or at least don’t have a problem with her.” Sirius hesitated before telling them what he suspected had happened.

“Right before Pippa was…attacked before holiday, Regulus pulled me aside in the toilets and said that he’d make her wish that she’d never been born for having a letter sent home to our parents about him and Tiffany. He told me that he’d give her back to me in pieces and I could try to put her back together.” They all raised eyebrows. “I thought he was just talking shit—Regulus has always been all talk—but Pippa ran into him outside Runes right when classes resumed and he said the same to her—wanted to know if Mulciber, Avery, and Dolohov had actually done her in and kept calling her a whore— _my_ whore in particular, according to what she told me later that day when I saw her.”

“Well that’d explain why he took a literal swing at her when he did.” Remus said. They all looked over at him. “He wanted to literally break her into pieces in front of your face.” He added darkly.

“No offense or anything, mate, but your brother’s kind of awful.” James said, looking appalled. Peter nodded in agreement. “We should keep an eye on _all_ the girls from now on—Mary was attacked not too long ago herself, remember?” There were sounds of agreement from the other blokes. “They shouldn’t be going many places alone—not without each other or one of us.”

“If we tell them that, they’ll murder us.” Peter said. “I don’t fancy being the one to tell Lily Evans that she needs protecting.”

“Yeah, I’m with him on that.” Sirius said. “Look, as lovely as you all are, can you get out so I can sleep?” He added, feeling the pain in his ribs throb uncomfortably.

“Sure, mate. Want one of us to get Pomfrey before we leave?” James asked. Sirius shook his head. “Right, well try and get some sleep, yeah?”

“Yeah. Thanks, guys.” They all said goodbye and left a moment later, leaving Sirius alone in the hospital wing, staring at the ceiling and trying to sleep.

Sirius was discharged the next evening and by the time Monday rolled around, he was back to reading the book Pippa had passed onto him and trying to come up with the courage to ask her out later this week.

“Coming down to the Pitch?” James asked Sirius that Wednesday.

“I’m still grounded because of my ribs, Prongs—you know that. Besides, I need to give Pippa her book back.” He said and James grinned.

“Going to do it?”

“I don’t know, James…”

“Come on, Pads—do it. What’s the worse that can happen?”

“She says no and I look like an idiot?”

“Eh, the world keeps spinning—look at how many times Lily’s turned me down. I’m still here. Besides, I _seriously_ doubt that she’ll say no.” Sirius looked at him skeptically. “Look, go down and give her book back to her and have a nice chat and decide when you get to wherever you’re going, ask her to go have a coffee or something in Hogsmeade in a few days.”

“Fine. I’ll ask her out.” Sirius said and James grinned. “Don’t follow me, yeah?”

“Yeah, yeah. Godspeed.” James said and Sirius left, heading down for where Ancient Runes was going to be dismissed any minute.

He reached the classroom to see that everyone had already been dismissed so Sirius started heading towards the rest of the castle, hoping to catch Pippa. He almost missed her, but heard the sniffles at the last minute.

Pippa had been hoping to avoid having to see anyone—Sirius included, although she suspected he could relate more than anyone else could. Unfortunately, someone pulled back the tapestry she was sitting behind. She looked up to see none other than Sirius Black.

“What do you want?” She asked tiredly, not getting up.

“I came down here to give you your book back.” He said. Pippa nodded and stood, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. _Nice, Pippa—a great way to make a bloke like you._

“Um, thanks.” She said. “Did you like it?” She forced herself to ask, trying to be polite at the very least.

“Yeah, I did. It was good. Are you okay? Because you don’t look okay.” Pippa sighed and handed him a letter that had just gotten here. “Are you sure…?”

“Go ahead. I don’t know of anyone else who could remotely relate. Read it out loud. I didn’t get very far.” She said and waited for him to read.

“Um, ‘Philippa, I know the school year is half over for you, but your mother and I decided that now would be a good time to write because we don’t know how long the post takes to get to your freak school and you will probably need some time to make arrangements. We decided that it would be in everyone’s best interest if you don’t stay with us for any longer. Jake is becoming too interested in your devilry and neither of us want him to be involved in such things—your mother already has to carry the weight of one of her children being touched by the devil so don’t make matters worse and take her other child from her as well. Please come by and collect your things on the nineteenth from the hours of eight to two—we will be out for the morning. Don’t bother waiting until we return in order to say goodbye, your mother doesn’t want to see you. Michael’.” Sirius said quietly. “Oh, Pippa…”

“Nothing I didn’t already suspect.” She said, feeling like someone had hit her. “I always knew that he hated me, but Mom…I thought she loved me. I mean I knew she loves them more, but I’m still her daughter. Why doesn’t she love me?” Sirius sighed and gently wrapped his arms around her. “Where am I going to go?”

“Well, have you talked to Dumbledore about this?” He asked. Pippa shook her head. “Let’s start with that, okay?” She nodded and let Sirius walk her to the headmaster’s office. Dumbledore looked quite surprised indeed to see them.

“Miss Thatcher, Mr. Black. May I ask what you’re doing here?”

“I’d like permission to leave the castle for a day, sir.” Pippa said. “My mother, stepfather, and I have decided to…part ways and they’ve asked me to go collect my things from their house on the nineteenth.” Dumbledore blinked once, twice, three times before nodding. He looked quite sad.

“Of course, Miss Thatcher. I will contact the Ministry to arrange portkeys to and from my office on the nineteenth. Now, I must ask about where you plan on going during holidays? Students are not welcome during the summer, no matter the circumstances, I’m afraid.”

“I was thinking perhaps I could stay at the Leaky Cauldron and earn my keep there.” She said. Dumbledore nodded.

“A good idea. I’ll speak to Tom about arranging a job for you there for the summer holiday.” He added. “Would you like anyone to go with you on the nineteenth?”

“I’d like to go with her, sir.” Sirius said. “We can’t use magic yet and someone has to left the heavy things. We all know James has no upper-body strength so I’m really the obvious choice.” He added, when Pippa and Dumbledore both looked over at him. Pippa smiled at him a bit, incredibly grateful.

“Anyone else?”

“Maybe Lily, but I’m not sure. She…she needs to check her pity sometimes.” Pippa said. “Probably just Sirius.” Dumbledore nodded.

“Come to my office on the nineteenth and eight in the morning and we will discuss all of this before sending you two on your ways.” He said. “I’m quite sorry that your family situation has come to this, Philippa.” He added. “If it’s any consolation, your father loved you more than anything else in this world when he was alive—even more than life itself.” Pippa smiled a bit.

“I know, sir. Thank you.” She said and left the room, Sirius trailing her. “Are you sure you want to come with me? That’s a Hogsmeade day. You’re missing an entire day of raiding Zonko’s with your mates.” She asked. He shrugged.

“I’m sure. Besides, if I’m going to be honest, I was hoping to not spend the day with them this time.” Pippa raised an eyebrow at that. “See, there’s a girl. I was actually on my way to ask her on a date when I found you in your hiding spot.” _Stupid girl you should have known he fancied someone of course he doesn’t want you. Why would he? What do you have that’s so special? A family that hates you? He has one of his own—he doesn’t need yours too._

“Oh. You should do it. Ask whoever she is out. Don’t let my stupid family ruin your date.” Pippa said, forcing herself to smile at him. He shrugged.

“Turns out she isn’t going to Hogsmeade anyways—besides, I’m committed to moving your stuff now. I even told Dumbledore I’d do it.” Pippa smiled a bit as they reached the grand staircase. “Where are you headed?” She hesitated, but told the truth.

“Library. I need to get ahead on my work if all Saturday is going to be shot because I’ll be moving. You?”

“Common room, I think. Happy studying, Pip.” Sirius said. Pippa smiled.

“Thanks. And by the way, whoever she is—she’s a lucky girl.” _Wait, what? You did_ not _just say that to his face. Oh you did you fucking idiot._

“Excuse me?” Sirius asked, looking quite surprised.

“Just saying. You’re a good guy, Sirius—even if you don’t think so. Not all blokes would read my  books and have nice chats with me about them. Ask her out next time you see her. She’ll say yes if she has any sense.” She said and walked off towards the library, wondering who exactly Sirius Black fancied.

“Did you do it?” James asked when he came back in from practice.

“Nope.”

“Why the hell not?”

“Because she was crying when I found her.” Sirius said blandly. “Her mother and stepfather have decided she’s no longer welcome and want her stuff out of their house on this Saturday.” He added, staring at the ceiling above his bed. “She’d just gotten the letter. Took her to Dumbledore and he told her that he’d situate everything so she’d be able to stay somewhere like the Cauldron over the summer and work to earn her keep.”

“And you didn’t ask her out because…?”

“Because she was in tears? Because saying ‘hey, it sucks that your family hates you, but how about we go on a date’ is kind of awful?” Sirius said. “I’ll ask her some other time. Anyways, I offered to help her move her things because she needs someone with muscles to help her because we can’t use magic and her family’s Muggle so the Trace works. So, you three enjoy Hogsmeade without me.”

James didn’t have an argument for that. 


	10. The Familial Nightmare

“Your portkey will leave at precisely nine in the morning.” Dumbledore told Sirius and Pippa Saturday morning. That was under an hour. “Also, I’ve spoken to Tom at the Leaky Cauldron about the possibility of you staying there for the summer, Philippa.”

Pippa looked nervous and Sirius understood why. If this didn’t shake out, where would she go? She—like Sirius—didn’t feel right pushing herself on a family of her friends’. The only reason Sirius had ended up with the Potters was because they had refused to let him leave one day over summer and James had dragged all his shit over while Mrs. Potter had insisted that he was their son.

“And?” Pippa asked.

“And he said that he simply could not give you a room free of rent for the entire summer, but he is looking for a bartender for the summer—apparently the Cauldron is quite busy during holiday.” Dumbledore said. “He said that he would be willing to give you a room to stay in as long as you worked downstairs at the bar. He also agreed to give you three free meals a day at the Cauldron as you won’t be making enough to support yourself. I assume that’s agreeable?” Pippa relaxed and nodded immediately.

“Completely. That’s so much better than anything I could have asked for, Professor. Thank you so much.” She said. “Should I write him or…?”

“It’s been handled. Take the Knight Bus from your house to the Leaky Cauldron, tell him who you are, and he’ll show you your room. On that note, these are daily passes—you may use the bus as much as you need today for free.” Dumbledore said. Pippa nodded, taking the slips of paper with a smile, thanking him. “So, this is your portkey back to Hogwarts. It will leave at precisely four in the afternoon. If you miss it, you will have to take the Knight Bus to the gates of the school and walk back.” He handed Pippa a wristwatch, which she hastily put on her wrist. “And this is your portkey to your house.” He handed her a battered glasses case. “It will leave in fifteen minutes. I’d say to have a pleasant day, but I somehow doubt that. I’ll see you both tonight.” With that, Dumbledore left, heading back up to what Sirius assumed were his personal chambers.

“So, The Leaky Cauldron.” Sirius said. Pippa nodded.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Think you could sneak me and the boys free drinks under the table?” He asked, making her laugh.

“Sorry, but I don’t endorse underage drinking.” She said. “I might give you a discount, but I’m not selling you whiskey.” Sirius chuckled as they watched the time in silence for a bit. “It’s time.” Pippa said softly, holding the glasses case out for him to put a finger on as well. A minute later, it glowed blue and they left Hogwarts.

Sirius landed on his back in the middle of a room, ugly beige walls and carpeted floors (which was the only thing that saved his back). As he climbed to his feet, he saw that it was a tiny room. The twin bed on its box springs took up almost half of it and the bedspread was…honestly, quite hideous. There was a cheap bookshelf that doubled as a nightstand and faded stickers put on it by a child who was clearly hoping to make the room her own.

“Nice room.” Sirius said, completely lying. This wasn’t nice. It was tiny and beaten down and—Sirius realized—completely windowless. It was like a glorified jail cell.

“No it’s not.” Pippa said flatly, walking over to the closet that was lacking doors. “I always hated this room, but it was the only one Michael would let me have—he didn’t want me taking up anymore room than I had to. You should see Jake’s room.” She said, looking around. “I don’t know why Dumbledore bothered to give us so much time—it’s not going to take long at all to move what I want to keep.”

Sirius had to admit that there weren’t a lot of things here he’d want to keep either, although the furniture would come in handy when she got her own place eventually, which he mentioned. She laughed.

“Nah, Dad had this stipulation in his will that if my mother moved me from my childhood home, that all of the furniture go into a storage unit under the care of the Ministry until I came of age. I have plenty of furniture—that no one can get to until December.” Pippa said. “Now, what’s the attack plan?”

“Well, do we have anything to move your clothes with? I’m assuming you don’t want to just walk onto the Knight Bus with all of them on hangers.” Sirius asked. Pippa nodded.

“Yeah, there are some boxes down in the basement I think. We’ll just put them back before we head back to Hogwarts and no one will ever know they were gone.” Pippa said. “I’ll be right back—feel free to look around, but there isn’t much to look at in here.” She added, opening the door to the rest of the house and leaving.

Sirius poked his head out into the rest of the house to see that it was massive and very nice. Sterile, but nice. He absently started walking and saw a room that had a sign hanging on it that said “Jake’s room”. He peeked in the door to see a massive room with huge windows, bins filled to the top with toys, and a bed shaped like a racecar. Wow, Pippa hadn’t been kidding when she said she had the smallest room in the house. He spotted a picture on the wall as he kept walking down the hall of a boy with blonde hair with a man with the same hair and a brunette woman. This must be Pippa’s family and she was distinctly missing from the family portrait.

“They took ones with me in them, but Michael determined that they all came out terribly—although the ones with just the three of them were lovely apparently.” Pippa said, coming back with a couple cardboard boxes. Sirius looked back at the picture. Pippa’s mother was a pretty woman, although she looked very little like her daughter. The boy and man weren’t very…well, Pippa’s mother was the pretty one in the picture. Despite that, Sirius personally found Pippa to be much more beautiful than her mother.

“What did your dad look like? You look nothing like your mom.” Sirius said. Pippa’s face fell as she headed back to her room silently. “Pip?” He asked after a minute when she didn’t answer. “I’m sorry if I said something—” She shook her head at him a little.

“No, you didn’t—it’s not you. I just…I don’t know.” She said quietly, tears welling up. “I used to, but I don’t remember what he looks like anymore. When he died, Mom was grieving and never got out pictures of him and then when she met Michael and they got married, she either locked up all her pictures of Dad or just got rid of them, I’m not sure which it is. I haven’t seen a picture of him since I was about five.” She said softly. Sirius sighed, but didn’t say anything. “I suppose he looked like me because I don’t look much like Mom, but I don’t remember. I don’t have anything to remember him by except for a touch of his memories and that.” She added, wiping her eyes and motioning to a music box on her nightstand. “Shit, I’m sorry. Okay, packing.” She said and turned her attention to her clothes, pulling them out of the closet and putting them in boxes. Sirius didn’t comment and started helping.

They took the first two boxes of clothes to the Cauldron and it appeared that Tom was extremely welcoming to Pippa and showed her right up to her room.

“It’s not much, but it’s one of the nicest we’ve got.” Tom said, opening the door. It was much larger than Pippa’s bedroom—although it overlooked the back alley that led to Diagon Alley, which wasn’t very scenic at all and quite loud.

“It’s brilliant, Tom. Thank you so much.” Pippa said. “We’ll try and keep out of your hair.”

“Course. Here’s your key, Pippa. Don’t be strangers downstairs.” He handed her a key with a smile and left.

“Nice guy.” Sirius said as they started pulling her clothes out of boxes and putting them into a chest of drawers. Pippa nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, seems like it. Reckon we could use magic here? Magic adults are everywhere after all.”

“I reckon so—I use it at the Potters’ all the time.” He said and Pippa waved her wand, levitating clothes into the dresser with a small smile.

They were just returning to Pippa’s old room one more time to put the borrowed boxes away and take the last few things (namely her father’s music box and a few schoolbooks she had left over) when the front door unlocked.

Pippa groaned and checked the time.

“It’s only one. They shouldn’t be back for another two hours. The letter said three, didn’t it?” She asked Sirius, who nodded. “Whatever. We’re done here anyways.” She sighed as there was the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs from the ground floor. The blonde boy from the photo looked into the room.

“Hey, Jake.” Pippa sighed. The boy ran off.

“Mommy! You didn’t say the freak was coming home!” He shouted. Sirius looked at Pippa, who seemed like she was living in her own familial nightmare. Sirius could relate.

“Fuck.” She groaned. “Come on, maybe we can get out without them seeing us.” She told Sirius and headed downstairs with one last sweeping look over the room before closing the door, music box in her arms, securely held. They almost made it to the front door—Pippa’s hand was actually on the doorknob.

“Pippa? What are you doing home?” Pippa and Sirius turned to see Pippa’s mother standing there. “And who’s this?” She added, nodding towards Sirius.

“He’s none of your concern and you know why I’m here.” Pippa said.

“No, I really don’t. It’s January—you shouldn’t be home for another five months.” She said. “Is that your music box?” She suddenly asked, looking down at the box in Pippa’s arms.

“Well I’m not leaving it _here_.” Pippa snapped back. “I’m not leaving one of the last parts of Dad I have with you—not if I’m not coming back.” Her mother’s mouth dropped open.

“Not coming back? Are you insane? Of course you’re coming back—you’re my daughter, this is your home.” Pippa raised an eyebrow.

“The only home I’ve ever known was where we lived with Dad—somewhere you wasted no time in selling to strangers; a house my family called home for over a thousand years—sold to _strangers_. You took my home from me when I was nine years old.” Pippa said.

“Why are you saying all of these terrible things, Pippa? How are you even here? Your school is so far north…”

“When I got the letter, I spoke to the headmaster—he gave me permission to leave school for a day to move my things.” Pippa said. “Like you care? Last I heard, you didn’t want to see me.”

“Didn’t want to— _of course_ I want to see you, Pippa. Why would you ever say that?” Her mother asked. Sirius awkwardly shifted the books in his arms.

“Oh please, you know why!” Pippa snapped. “Stop pretending like you don’t because we both know you do.”

“No, I really don’t!” Her mother snapped back and Sirius actually got the impression that Pippa’s mother really _didn’t_ know what was happening.

“Because that’s what the stupid letter said! It said to come get my stuff today before three and not to bother waiting for you to come back because you didn’t want to see me!” Pippa shouted. Her mother stared at her.

“What letter?” She asked quietly. “What are you talking about?”

“The letter your husband sent me—about wanting to protect Jake from my devilry or whatever. Told me to get out and not come back—that you _both_ wanted me gone.” Pippa said. Her mother fell silent, just staring at her. “That’s what I thought. I’ll see myself out. Bye, Mom.” She said and opened the door, motioning Sirius out. He quietly walked out and Pippa followed him with her music box.

“Why don’t I call the bus, Pip? You look a bit…shaky. Besides, what if you accidentally drop the music box?” Sirius said carefully. She nodded a little and Sirius pulled his wand out.

“Pippa!” They both turned around before Sirius could summon the bus to see Pippa’s mother running down the lawn.

“What?” She asked, clearly ready to be done with this day.

“I didn’t know—about the letter.” She said. “I didn’t know that Mike had written you. We talked about wanting to keep magic away from Jake, but I never wanted you to leave home—not until you were ready. Please don’t do this.” She said, obviously having asked her husband about what the hell had happened. Pippa blinked slowly at her.

“He wrote it without telling you? What was he going to say? That I just left on my own?” She nodded. “And what are you going to do about that?” Pippa asked quietly. Her mother looked taken aback. “Are you even _angry_ with him? He pushed me out at sixteen—your firstborn child—your only daughter—without your permission and you’re not angry?”

“Pippa, darling, of course I’m—”

“Are you going to leave him?” Pippa asked.

“What? No. Of course not—he’s my husband.”

“So was Dad.”

“Your father is _dead_ , Philippa! He’s dead and he’s not coming back and I’m not going to make Jake suffer just because you’re too selfish to look beyond yourself and a man that’s been dead for almost your entire life!” Her mother shouted at her. Pippa took a step back, looking like her mother had slapped her across the face.

“Goodbye, Mother.” She said quietly and pulled her wand out, summoning the Knight Bus. Ernie grinned at them both cheerily. This was their fifth trip of the day.

“Back again you two? Right, on you pop.” He said to Pippa and Sirius. Sirius looked over at Pippa, who nodded. He got on the bus and just as Pippa went to follow him, her mother grabbed her arm, pulling her back to try and talk more. Unfortunately, that jostled her a bit too much and the music box fell from Pippa’s arms and shattered on the street into tiny pieces.

Everyone fell very silent. Pippa’s mother looked mortified—she had clearly known what that was and likely what it meant to her daughter. Sirius and Ernie exchanged troubled looks. Pippa’s eyes welled up with tears.

“Look at what you’ve done, Mom!” She shouted at her. “Can you stop touching the things I love? All you do is break them!” Ernie hastily bent down and mended the porcelain box for her—as he was over seventeen and could do what no one else could for Pippa at the moment.

“Here you go, Miss Thatcher.” He said gently. “Not a scratch on it.” Pippa smiled at him gratefully.

“Thanks Ernie.” She mumbled. “You’re a lifesaver.” She added, as she got on the bus, Sirius giving her a hand up.

“Philippa, get off that bus.” Her mother said. Sirius raised an eyebrow. She was trying to go with ‘stern parent’ now? Really?

“No. Let’s go, Ernie. I’m sure there are other people that need to be picked up.” Pippa said before turning her back on her mother for what, Sirius suspected, would be a _very_ long time.

“Want to see something?” Pippa asked Sirius as they finally got to her room at the Cauldron. It was the first time either of them had said a word since they had gotten on the Knight Bus.

“Sure.” He said as Pippa picked up the music box and placed it on her bed, motioning him over. She carefully opened it and classical music started to tinkle out. It looked like a fairly normal—albeit beautiful—music box, if not for the fact that the ballerina dancing about seemed alive, dancing like a real human would. She also looked very much like Pippa with her dark hair, bright blue eyes, and fair skin. “She looks like you.” He said, watching the ballerina dance gracefully.

“I wanted to be a dancer when I was little and Dad had it made for me. I used to watch her dance for hours on end right when he died.” She admitted. “It was before he had started letting me know he was with me in my head and this was the only way I could feel close to him at all.”

“I’m sorry you lost him, Pip—I really am. I don’t think I ever asked, but what happened exactly?” Pippa shrugged.

“Spell backfired when he was at work one day.” She said. “He worked in the Ministry somewhere. I never asked where and Mom wouldn’t have known anyways.” Sirius nodded. “I remember the first time I realized he was with all of my other relatives. I was watching this little thing about a year after he died and was wishing I could talk to him again and there was just this…feeling in my chest and stomach. It was so warm and gentle and…and loving—it was like being hugged, but _from the inside_.” Sirius thought that sounded strange and very impossible, but whatever. “When I was a little girl, I’d feel it when I was really upset or when I was scared or when I needed someone and no one was there. It’s much less now—I almost never feel it anymore.”

“It’s good he’s still with you. You’ll always have one of your parents, huh?” Sirius said, not really knowing what to say.

“When…uh, last semester with Mulciber and all them…before you pulled them off me, I felt it again—the first time in over four years, since my Sorting, actually. He held onto me, stayed with me, until you gave me your jacket to put on.” She admitted softly. Sirius smiled a bit.

“Should I be honored that he trusted me with his baby girl enough to let go of her?” Sirius asked a bit teasingly. She smiled a bit as well.

“Maybe. It’d be a completely different story if it were a boyfriend, of course. Dads and their daughters’ boyfriends have a…special relationship.” She said with a smile, closing the music box and gently placing it on her new desk just under her very _un_ scenic window. At least she had a window now though. Sirius checked the time. It was three.

“Think we have time to get some ice cream from Florean’s before the portkey leaves?” He asked Pippa. She raised an eyebrow. “What? I’m hungry and we never got to talk about that book you loaned me.” She smiled a bit.

“I reckon I have enough money in here for an ice cream.” She said and looked in her purse. “Yeah, I can’t believe I never asked you about the book.” She added as they walked.

“You were a bit occupied with your…family.” Sirius said and she nodded a bit.

“I suppose.” She admitted before they dove into a much easier conversation about much easier topics, only barely remembering the portkey when it was time.

* * *

“How was it?” James asked as Sirius walked into their bedroom. He made a face. “Figured.” He added. “You weren’t fun to move either. Where’s she staying?”

“Cauldron. Tom’s letting her stay and eat for free as long as she works as a bartender during the summer.” Sirius said as he flopped into bed. “Her mother came home just as we were leaving.”

“Awkward.”

“Turns out her stepfather had sent her that letter without her mom knowing.” James whistled in astonishment. “Pippa asked her mother what she was going to do about it and once it was determined that she’d be doing nothing about it, Pippa left. It all ended with her mother screaming at Pippa that her father was dead and that nothing was going to change that and that she should really stop being so selfish.” Sirius said blandly.

“Sounds…miserable.”

“That’s a word for it, yeah.”

“Can you think of anything to cheer her up?” Sirius thought it over.

“Actually, I can.” Remus and Peter looked up at that tone of voice.

“He doesn’t mean…?” Peter trailed off.

“No, he definitely does.” Remus confirmed.

“ _Brilliant_.” James grinned.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for making it this far! I'll try to update at least twice a week, but no promises and I hope you're enjoying reading as much as I did writing!
> 
> Essie


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